Six Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

The calendar says March begins on Sunday, but there’s more snow in the forecast this weekend. I’m not even sure that the kids are looking forward to the snow anymore. That’s a telling sign that we’re all getting a little winter weary. Perspective is a good thing here. Our friends in New England have every reason to whine about winter. It’s just winter as far as Iowa is concerned.

But it’s easy to find ourselves struggling at this point in the season. We’re getting tired of winter and ready to see some green grass. When it’s more than just the blues, consider Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is a mental health issue that can create feelings of depression, sadness, and emptiness.

Our internal body clock relies on the pattern of the sunrise and sunset. But external life, schedules, and alarm clocks force our body to run on a different clock. People who experience SAD can report weight gain, lack of interest in activities, difficulty sleeping or oversleeping, difficulty with decision-making and keeping track of details are just a few of the symptoms of SAD.

So, how do we deal with this?

Exercise is a great mood-altering activity and it helps to keep your risk of winter weight gain down. Looking for a place to workout? The Paul W. Ahrens Fitness Center at Postels is brand-new and ready for you 24 hours a day. Check it out on the web here.

See your doctor if symptoms of SAD are really affecting your daily living.

Get outside. If it’s possible to take a brisk walk outdoors, go for it. The daylight, fresh air, and cold temperature will be invigorating. You also burn extra calories because your body is also working hard just to keep you warm.

Meet up with friends and neighbors or pick up the phone and call someone. Just connecting with others will be helpful. You might find that they are experiencing some of the same feelings.

Eat well. Hot and hearty meals do not need to be heavy and fattening. Choose wisely. Be careful with alcohol consumption. Being snowed in may seem like a good reason to drink but it can make the blues and depression worse.

Seek the light. Whether it is making it a point to be in a sunny room or getting outside, it’s important to get as much daylight as possible. And that’s not easy to do. Consider light therapy with a full spectrum lamp or a specially designed light box.

Daylight Savings Time will happen on Sunday, March 8, and it will take a couple of weeks for more daylight in the mornings, but it will provide more daylight in the evening hours right away.  

The good news is that March is just days away and the dawn is coming a little earlier every morning and the sunset is happening a little later every single day. Spring is coming. Take good care of yourself between now and then.

From the National Institute of Mental Health

Some people experience a serious mood change during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. This condition is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. SAD is a type of depression. It usually lifts during spring and summer.

Not everyone with SAD has the same symptoms. They include:

Sad, anxious or "empty" feelings

Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism

Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness

Irritability, restlessness

Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy

Fatigue and decreased energy

Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions

Difficulty sleeping or oversleeping

Changes in weight

Thoughts of death or suicide

SAD may be effectively treated with light therapy. But nearly half of people with SAD do not respond to light therapy alone. Antidepressant medicines and talk therapy can reduce SAD symptoms, either alone or combined with light therapy.

NIH: National Institute of Mental Health

Five ways heart attacks are different in women than in men

Most of us are probably familiar with the Hollywood Heart Attack. The individual having an attack puts their hands over the middle of their chest and falls to the ground in dramatic fashion.

But in reality, a heart attack can be a lot more subtle, especially in women. 435,000 women have heart attacks every year. Heart disease is the number one cause of death for women in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chest tightness and discomfort. It may not be extreme. The discomfort may not even be in the chest, but in the back or shoulders.

You might have pain or discomfort radiating down one or both arms.

You may feel an ache in your jaw.

You might feel lightheaded or breaking out in a cold sweat.

Nausea or vomiting may be present.

If you have any of these symptoms, especially together, do not dismiss them. Call 911. Chest pain and discomfort could be just heartburn or GERD, but that’s not your call to make. Get medical attention immediately and let the healthcare professionals make that diagnosis.

Actually, these symptoms can be present and lingering for a couple of weeks. Frequently women say they thought they had the flu or just a bad case of heartburn and certainly never thought about a heart attack. Chest pain, tightness, or discomfort is still the most common and dominant symptom of a heart attack for men or women. But, women are more likely to experience extreme fatigue, nausea, and fainting. These are all symptoms that look like a lot of other things.

Minutes matter in situations like these. GRMC is the closest Level III trauma center in our area. GRMC’s emergency healthcare professionals are here 24 hours a day, ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

In April 2014, Shirley Parrott, had not been feeling well for several weeks. Her symptoms, as it turned out, were that of a pending heart attack.

When the heart attack happened on April 12, she was brought to GRMC by ambulance. Her heart stopped beating—twice. The emergency team at GRMC kept Parrott alive and prepped her to fly by air ambulance to Mercy Des Moines. On the way to the helicopter, Parrott’s heart stopped again. Within minutes, she was at Mercy in their operating room receiving surgery to correct the blockage. The specific blockage Parrott had caused a massive heart attack that typically has a 5 to 10 percent survival rate and is often referred to as a widow maker.

“The doctors at Mercy said that they saved her life in Grinnell,” Shirley’s mother-in-law Verleen Eggman says. “She would not be here today without GRMC.”

“Honestly, I had not been to GRMC in a long time. I wasn’t happy with them,” Shirley Parrott says. “But I am astounded at what they did to save my life and, obviously, very happy that things worked out the way they did.”

Know the signs of heart attack. For more information go to:

www.heart.org Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm

What is best for baby?

From the World Health Organization to the American Academy of Family Physicians, and more, breast milk is widely regarded as the best choice for infants unless there are other extenuating health circumstances.

But just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s always easy to do.

GRMC now has two certified lactation counselors to encourage and support new mothers. Kayla Sherwood, RN, and Lisa Leris, RN, are available to assist moms before, during, and after their delivery at Kintzinger Women’s Health Center. 

Lisa Leris, RN, and Kayla Sherwood, RN are
Certified Lactation Counselors at GRMC

Kayla and Lisa are available to help provide education during prenatal classes to prepare for breastfeeding, provide support and coaching while in the hospital and after leaving the hospital for babies, moms, and dads.

The benefits for breastfeeding are substantial for babies, moms, and really, the entire family. More families are choosing to breastfeed as they are able and one of the goals is to make breastfeeding the norm. Kayla and Lisa are available to coach moms and babies to make it easier to nurse at least three months or more.

            Breastfeeding benefits go beyond just nutrition to emotional bonding, decreased risk for postpartum depression, certain cancers, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and so much more.

            Fathers play a huge role in supporting mothers in breastfeeding and lactation counselors include dads every step of the way.

            Are you a new breastfeeding mom? A breastfeeding support group meets the first Tuesday of every month at 10:30 a.m., in the Light Center for Community Health, 306 4^th Ave., Grinnell.

            Need more information? Call Grinnell Regional Public Health at 641-236-2385.

10 Things You Need to Know About Measles

1. It’s not in Iowa right now. But there are cases of measles (rubeola) in Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

2. Measles is a highly contagious illness that comes on progressively.  For 10 days to two weeks following exposure, the virus is present but there are no symptoms. A person with measles can spread the virus to others for about eight days, starting four days before the rash appears and ending when the rash has been present for four days. This means that until the rash appears, they may not know they have measles and they can unknowingly spread the virus. They go to school, to daycare, to the grocery store, and wherever else life may take them.

3. Symptoms look like a cold - runny nose, cough, and fever. Pink-eye like conjunctivitis is also a symptom. These come on without the tell-tale rash so it’s very hard to know for a while what’s going on until the rash appears that confirms measles. We might not limit activity for children with those cold-like symptoms until they are too sick to go to school. But we should. By then, they may have infected others.

5. Do not send your children to school if they are sick. Do not go to work if you are sick.

6. Call your doctor if you suspect the measles.

7. Anyone can get the measles, not just children. Those who do not have immunity are at increased risk for getting the measles. Measles can be prevented through the MMR vaccine. This vaccine is available at Grinnell Regional Public Health (641-236-2385) and through your physician clinic if they provide vaccinations.

8. Complications from the measles virus can run from ear infections and possible hearing loss to pneumonia, bronchitis, and encephalitis that can lead to death. About 100,000 deaths each year occur from measles and related infections.

9. Like the mumps and chicken pox, measles was considered a childhood virus and before the measles vaccine was licensed in 1963, ne

arly all children under 15 got the measles. It is highly contagious.

10. Thanks to the MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) vaccine, the number of measles cases in the United States has dropped dramatically since 1963. Measles is still very prevalent in the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that an estimated 20 million cases of measles happen worldwide annually.

Bonus:  Although they have similar symptoms and similar names, the current outbreak is rubeola, otherwise known as measles.This is not rubella, also known as three-day measles or German measles.

Contact your family physician for more information or Grinnell Regional Public Health, 641-236-2385.

Learn more:

www.idph.gov Iowa Department of Public Health  

www.cdc.gov Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

www.mayoclinic.org