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**LET'S TALK**

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| ##### SPRING 2005 HEALTHY BODIES ● SOUND MINDS ● A SAFE PLACE TO WORK |
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**It Happens Every Year**

**DRINKING DRIVERS UNDER THE AGE OF 21 CAUSE NEARLY 1,100 DEATHS
ANNUALLY.** Unfortunately, teen drinking, driving and death are linked
together in many communities throughout the United States, and these
tragedies strike

every year.

The greatest single mortality risk posed by underage drinking is traffic
crashes, which are the leading cause of death for people between the
ages of 4 and 34 in

the United States.

This year, you can help change the statistics. As spring break, prom
season and graduation approach, brush up on these helpful tips to keep
the teens you care

about out of harm's way:

-   Encourage teens to never drive or ride with someone who has been
    drinking.

-   Let teens know how to get home safely from a party if they have been
    drinking.

-   Ask teens to let you know where they are, particularly during late
    night hours.

**Stop, Thief!**

*But he that filches from me my good name.*

*Robs me of that which not enriches him,*

*And makes me poor indeed.*

*Shakespeare, Othello, act iii, Sc. 3*

**WHAT IS IDENTITY THEFT?**

The short answer is that identity theft is a crime. *Identity theft* and
*identity fraud* refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully
obtains and uses another

person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception,
typically for

economic gain.

Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be used by
someone else, your personal data --- especially your Social Security
number, bank account or credit card number, driver's license and other
valuable identifying data --- can be used, if they fall into the wrong
hands, to personally profit at your expense.

Many victims have reported that unauthorized people have withdrawn funds

from their banks or financial accounts or taken over their identities
altogether,

running up vast debts and committing crimes while using the victims'
names.

Responding to identity theft is expensive, time consuming and
emotionally

draining. On average, victims spend more than 175 hours and \$1,000 in
out-of pocket expenses to clear their names, restore their reputations
in the community,

correct erroneous information and reestablish good credit. The cost to
employers

also is significant, due to victim stress, absenteeism and lost
productivity.

To protect yourself from identity theft, remember the word **SCAM:**

-   Be **stingy** about giving your personal information to others.

-   **Check** your financial information.

-   **Ask** for a copy of your credit report.

-   **Maintain** careful financial records.

For more information on identity theft, see **VOD119.**

*Source: www.foh.dhhs.gov, 2005*

what's new?

**Late-Breaking Health News**

**MORE THAN 68,000 AMERICAN WOMEN DIE OF LUNG CANCER EACH YEAR.**

That's more than breast cancer and all gynecologic cancers combined,
according

to a report in the Mayo Clinic *Women's HealthSource*. Smoking accounts
for nearly 90 percent of all cases of lung cancer. For nonsmokers, daily
exposure to secondhand smoke may increase the chance for lung cancer by
as much as 30 percent.

Research shows annual chest X-rays don't reduce cancer deaths among
smokers. A recent study by Mayo researchers found that a special type of
imaging test --- the spiral computerized tomography (CT) scan --- may
detect lung cancer at a much earlier stage in people with a high risk
for the disease.

The best way to prevent lung cancer is to not smoke and to avoid
secondhand

smoke. If you already smoke, quitting now can reduce your risk, even if
you have smoked for years.

For information on how to quit smoking, see **VOD 120.**

***Spring 2005*** 2

**OLDER AMERICANS ARE OFTEN PRESCRIBED DANGEROUS MEDICATIONS**,
according to an article in the *Archives of Internal Medicine*.

Researchers studied a database of 765,423 people ages 65 and older who
filled prescriptions during 1999. They found 21 percent had a
prescription for one or more drugs that should be avoided by elderly
people.

Amitriptyline and doxepin --- drugs used to treat depression ---
accounted for 23 percent of the drugs that shouldn't have been
prescribed. More than 15 percent of the people filled prescriptions for
two drugs they should have avoided, and 4 percent filled prescriptions
for three or more drugs that could be dangerous for them to take.

**EXPOSURE TO SOLVENT AND CLEANING PRODUCT FUMES MAY INCREASE THE RISK
FOR CHILDHOOD ASTHMA**, according to a study published in the journal
*Thorax*.

A study of 192 toddlers at hospital emergency rooms found more than
three-quarters of the children with asthma were allergic to volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) found in solvents, paints, floor adhesives,
cleaning products, polishes, room fresheners, wall-to-wall carpets and
cigarette smoke, compared with only half the children without asthma.

The researchers also found the levels of indoor VOCs were significantly
higher in the homes of the children with asthma.

The authors concluded that although their study was small, it supports
the theory that exposure to indoor pollutants during early childhood
could lead to the development of asthma.

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!

**Visit www.vitality.com for more articles and to search for topics you
would like to learn more about. It's simple. And it's free.**

**Via the Internet:** Visit our home page at *www.vitality.com* and
press the Vitality-on-Demand button to search by keyword. Or click on
Special Reports to access the articles listed below.

**SPECIAL REPORT**

**119** Identity Theft

**120** How to Quit Smoking

**541** Sensible Weight Loss

**542** Lowering Your Cholesterol

**543** Reducing Your Stress

**544** Walking for Fitness

***Spring 2005*** 3

**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

Keeping Personal Problems Off the Job

**YOUR PERSONAL LIFE MAY BE IN TURMOIL.** But allowing your personal
problems to affect your productivity at work will add to your stress.
Here's what you can do about it.

**Get involved.**

One of the best ways to avoid taking your personal problems to work is
to be involved in some community work or a support group.

**Be an optimist.**

Look at what's good about your personal life. Optimists know there's a
problem and try to solve it.

**Change what you can.**

Determine which changes you can make in your personal life. Where can
you add more predictability and structure? Can you either divide up the
household chores or hire someone to help?

**Do something for yourself every day.**

Make sure you're eating properly, exercising, getting enough sleep and
relaxing some every day. Each week, do at least one activity you enjoy.
At work, use part of your lunch hour to go for a walk or read an
inspirational book.

**Make friends at work.**

Invite a different coworker to lunch every day. Choose happy people with
a positive attitude because they'll give you energy.

**Dodging Love's Web**

If you saw the movie *You've Got Mail*, you may have wondered if an
electronic romance can blossom into true love.

Unfortunately, *You've Got Mail* was more Hollywood fantasy than
reality, say mental health experts, who warn that romance seekers could
take some decidedly unromantic risks if they get swept away by an
electronic fling.

First, there is the small but real chance that the surfer might
encounter an electronic predator, intent on using the Internet to find
his or her next victim.

***Spring 2005*** 4

Less dangerous, but more widespread, is the risk of substituting a
fantasy-based electronic relationship for true intimacy.

Getting involved in an intense e-mail relationship frequently encourages
an Internet user to fantasize about the person on the other end of the
line --- and also to project his or her inner wishes onto them.

Here are a few tips to reduce the risks that come with an online
relationship:

-   **NEVER OFFER PERSONAL INFORMATION TO STRANGERS ON THE NET.**

Be careful not to divulge such items as your address, phone number or

workplace.

-   **BUILD YOUR E-MAIL RELATIONSHIP CAREFULLY**. Once you're
    comfortable

interacting on the Net, set up a phone conversation, but be sure to
block your phone number so your address can't be traced.

-   **IF THE PHONE CONVERSATION GOES WELL, YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON AT A
    PUBLIC PLACE.** Only then should you share personal information.

-   **TO AVOID DISILLUSIONMENT,** remind yourself that you're only
    seeing your

new friend's good side on the computer.

Taking Anger to Heart

When someone cuts you off on a busy highway, do you pound the steering
wheel in fury and shout at the driver? Or do you swallow your anger and
dwell on it later?

Either way, you're not being kind to your heart, researchers say. If you
respond to every anger-inducing situation by blowing your stack or
holding it in, you could be setting yourself up for serious heart
problems. According to Ohio State University researchers, there's
evidence that people who respond rigidly to anger-provoking events are
likely to wind up with significantly elevated levels of heart-damaging
cholesterol.

Experts suggest that the best response to anger-provoking situations is
to be creative and flexible. It's important to turn off the anger as
soon as possible to

reduce its physiological effects.

In subjects who always reacted to an anger-provoking situation in the
same negative way, researchers found levels of "bad" or LDL cholesterol
ranked higher, regardless of whether they expressed the anger or held it
inside.

Researchers also found that those who were flexible, but who hid their
anger slightly more often than showing it, had the lowest levels of bad
and total cholesterol.

Why does intense anger trigger the release of lipids (fats) from the
tissues into the bloodstream? The body releases the fatty substances for
energy as part of its "fight or flight" survival response to perceived
danger.

***Spring 2005*** 5

In some situations, the healthiest response is to quietly insist on your
rights, which will soon defuse the anger. Still, remain under control
and don't become aggressive.

Other survival-threatening situations (such as being chewed out by the
boss) must be endured in silence until you can slip away to burn off the
negative energy, perhaps through a brisk walk or some vigorous
kickboxing.

**Helpful Tips**

**Food calorie facts:** Different foods have various calorie levels,
depending on the amounts of fat, carbohydrates and protein they contain.
Fats have the most calories,

9 per gram; carbohydrates and proteins, 4 calories per gram. **VOD 412**

*IDEA, Health & Fitness Association, San Diego, CA.*

**People who ate about five pieces of fruit a day** had a 38 percent
lower risk for stroke than those who ate the least fruit, one study
found.

*American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda,
MD 20814.*

**Always contract your abdominal muscles** when working your midsection.
This stabilizes your spine, which helps reduce your injury risk.

*Men's Fitness, 21100 Erwin St., Woodland Hills, CA 91367.*

**When you're stressed and need to calm down,** imagine you're
surrounded by bright pink light. Studies have shown the hue helps lower
blood pressure and regulate heartbeat, both of which help reduce
tension.

*Tamara Lee Dorris, author of Get Well Now!, Empowered Press, 2003.*

**To ensure an accurate reading on a mammogram,** go to a facility that
uses computer-aided detection (CAD).With this technology, a computer
flags suspicious spots for radiologists, increasing the accuracy of
readings by 5 to 20 percent.

*Health, 2100 Lakeshore Blvd., Birmingham, AL 35209.*

**Before buying a walking shoe,** hold it in your hands and bend it. The
shoe should flex easily through the ball of the foot, but not at the
arch.

*Cooking Light, 2100 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209.*

***Spring 2005* 6**

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| The Federal Consortium EAP provides assessment, counseling, referral, |
| training and consultation to federal employees and agencies           |
| throughout the United States.                                         |
|                                                                       |
| *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.*                                                                |
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| ### *Copyright © 2005                                                 |
| Health Ink & Vitality Communications. All editorial rights reserved.* |
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***Spring 2005*** 7