Do as I say ...

... clearly, not as I do ..
Silly me. I was hit hard with a cold this week. Did I stay home in a timely fashion? No.
Like so many of us I pressed through the sneezing, sniffling and coughing. FOR WHAT?
Yes, we were shorthanded - I felt it was my duty. But you know, I really should have bowed out on Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday it was clear I should keep my germs to myself. And that's the point. If you're blowing through tissues at record clip - time to stay home, nurse that cold and prevent others from catching what you've got. Moreover, you'll get better, faster.
We all need to be reminded of that - even health reporters.

That all said .. there are a couple of health tidbits I want to share:

SLEEP APNEA : those diagnosed with this disorder run a higher risk of elevated blood pressure and heart disease.
Surgical treatment called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty can effectively treat the apnea in a third of patients. For the rest, the procedure can reduce the pressure needed in those C-Pap machines, often prescribed to keep the air flowing to patients during sleep. The findings were reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians - it still has to be reviewed in medical journals. But it's interesting and worth discussing with your doctor if you suffer abstructive sleep apnea.

CONTINUING CANCER RISK/CERVICAL DYSPLASIA;
A report out of Sweden finds women remain at risk for cervical or vaginal cancer for some 25 years or more after treatment for precancerous lesions. The take home is: women treated for high-grade dysplasia need to be screened beyond age 60.
Some 2.5 million women were studied. The full report is reported online in BMJ.

One for the guys and one for the gals

Guys. If you're looking to lower your risk of heart failure be sure to eat whole grain breakfast cereal. As reported in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine - 7 servings a week reduced the risk of heart failure by 29%.
Whole grain cereals getting the thumbs up include: shredded wheat, bran or oatmeal that include the entire kernel. Basically, any cereal with at least 25% of whole grain or bran by weight were classified as whole grain.

Gals:(really the whole family)
There's a big health festival on Saturday at the Chester Town Hall.

From 11 to 3 there will be an array of activities including free mammograms for women. There are still a few appointments open so give them a call at 1-800-822-0121.