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Is Viral Gastroenteritis a Serious Illness?

For most people, it is not. People who get viral gastroenteritis almost always recover completely without any long-term problems.

Gastroenteritis is a serious illness, however, for persons who are unable to drink enough fluids to replace what they lose through vomiting or diarrhea. Infants, young children, and persons who are unable to care for themselves, such as the disabled or elderly, are at risk for dehydration from loss of fluids.

Immune compromised persons are at risk for dehydration because they may get a more serious illness, with greater vomiting or diarrhea. They may need to be hospitalized for treatment to correct or prevent dehydration.

http://www.medicinenet.com/gastroenteritis/article.htm - check out this link for more information on this illness.

What are the Symptoms of Viral Gastroenteritis?

The main symptoms of viral gastroenteritis are watery diarrhea and vomiting. The affected person may also have headache, fever, and abdominal cramps ("stomach ache").

In general, the symptoms begin 1 to 2 days following infection with a virus that causes gastroenteritis and may last for 1 to 10 days, depending on which virus causes the illness.

What causes Viral Gastroenteritis?

Many different viruses can cause Gastroenteritis, including rotaviruses; noroviruses; adenoviruses, types 40 and 41; sapoviruses; and astroviruses.

Viral Gastroenteritis is not caused by bacteria (such as Salmonella species or Escherichia coli), or parasites (such as Giardia lamblia), or by medications, or other medical conditions, although the symptoms may be similar.

Your doctor can determine if the diarrhea is caused by a virus or by something else.

Have You been ill lately? … or had any of These Symptoms?

Have you had Diarrhea, Vomiting, Headache, Fever, or Abdominal Cramps?

If so, you may have the new viral infection going around called Viral Gastroenteritis.

What is Viral Gastroenteritis?

Gastroenteritis means inflammation of the stomach and small and large intestines. Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses that results in vomiting or diarrhea. It is often called the "stomach flu," although it is not caused by the influenza viruses.

Questions & Answers on Treating the Flu

Do I need to go to the emergency room if I am only a little sick?

No. The emergency room should be used for people who are very sick. You should not go to the emergency room if you are only mildly ill. If you have the emergency warning signs of flu sickness, you should go to the emergency room. If you get sick with flu symptoms and are at high risk of flu complications or you are concerned about your illness, call your health care provider for advice. If you go to the emergency room and you are not sick with the flu, you may catch it from people who do have it.

Are there medicines to treat the flu?

Yes. There are drugs your doctor may prescribe for treating the flu called "antivirals." These drugs can make you better faster and may also prevent serious complications. See Treatment (Antiviral Drugs) for more information.

How long should I stay home if I’m sick?

CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have to do and no one else can do for you. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol®.) You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings.

What should I do while I’m sick?

Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. And wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others. Visit the Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home guide for more information.

What To Do If You Get Sick?

How do I know if I have the flu?

You may have the flu if you have some or all of these symptoms:

·         fever*

·         cough

·         sore throat

·         runny or stuffy nose

·         body aches

·         headache

·         chills

·         fatigue

·         sometimes diarrhea and vomiting

*It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you get sick with flu-like symptoms, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Most people with the flu have mild illness and do not need medical care or antiviral drugs.

However, some people are more likely to get flu complications (for example young children, people 65 and older, people with asthma, diabetes or women who are pregnant) and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms. Also, it's possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu so anyone concerned about their illness should consult a health care provider.

There are emergency warning signs. Anyone who has them should get medical care right away.

What are the emergency warning signs?

In children

·         Fast breathing or trouble breathing

·         Bluish skin color

·         Not drinking enough fluids

·         Not waking up or not interacting

·         Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held

·         Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

·         Fever with a rash

In addition to the signs above, get medical help right away for any infant who has any of these signs:

·         Being unable to eat

·         Has trouble breathing

·         Has no tears when crying

·         Significantly fewer wet diapers than normal

In adults

·         Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

·         Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

·         Sudden dizziness

·         Confusion

·         Severe or persistent vomiting

·         Flu–like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough 

How Flu Spreads

Person to Person

People with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away. Most experts think that flu viruses are spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Less often, a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth or nose.

(To avoid this, people should wash their hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, they should use an alcohol-based hand rub to clean their hands. Linens, eating utensils, and dishes belonging to those who are sick should not be shared without washing thoroughly first. Eating utensils can be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with water and soap and do not need to be cleaned separately.)

The Flu Is Contagious

Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5-7 days after becoming sick. Children may pass the virus for longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. Some persons can be infected with the flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons may still spread the virus to others.

How to "Fight The Flu"!

Flu is a serious contagious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. In 2009–2010, a new and very different flu virus (called 2009 H1N1) spread worldwide causing the first flu pandemic in more than 40 years. Flu is unpredictable, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects the 2009 H1N1 virus to spread this upcoming season along with other seasonal flu viruses.

CDC urges you to take the following actions to protect yourself and others from influenza (the flu):

1) Take time to get a flu vaccine.

·         CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses.

·         While there are many different flu viruses, the flu vaccine protects against the three viruses that research suggests will be most common.

·         The 2010-2011 flu vaccine will protect against an influenza A H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus and the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last season.

·         Everyone 6 months of age and older should get vaccinated against the flu as soon as the 2010-2011 season vaccine is available.

·         People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older.

·         Vaccination of high risk persons is especially important to decrease their risk of severe flu illness.

·         Vaccination also is important for health care workers, and other people who live with or care for high risk people to keep from spreading flu to high risk people.

·         Children younger than 6 months are at high risk of serious flu illness, but are too young to be vaccinated. People who care for them should be vaccinated instead.

2) Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs.

·         Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.

·         Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.*

·         Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.

·         Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

·         If you are sick with flu–like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)

·         While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.

3) Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.

·         If you get the flu, antiviral drugs can treat your illness.

·         Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics. They are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) and are not available over-the-counter.

·         Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and shorten the time you are sick. They may also prevent serious flu complications.

·         It’s very important that antiviral drugs be used early (within the first 2 days of symptoms) to treat people who are very sick (such as those who are hospitalized) or people who are sick with flu symptoms and who are at increased risk of severe flu illness, such as pregnant women, young children, people 65 and older and people with certain chronic health conditions.

·         Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

Visit CDC’s website to find out what to do if you get sick with the flu and how to care for someone at home who is sick with the flu.

 

 

Questions & Answers on the Flu Shot

Are there new groups of people who are considered at higher risk of serious flu complications this season?

Yes. Morbid obesity is a newly recognized medical risk factor for influenza complications based on information from last flu season. Morbid obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) >40). Also, last flu season, American Indians and Alaskan Natives were found to be at greater risk of complications from the flu.

Where can I get the flu vaccine?

Flu vaccines have begun shipping from manufacturers and should be available in increasing quantities. Manufacturers project that there will be ample supplies of vaccine and that most vaccine will be distributed by November 2010. You can get the flu vaccine from your health care provider, as well as public clinics. For a list of public locations, please visit: Flu Vaccine Finder .

For additional information please contact 1-800-CDC-INFO or visit www.flu.gov .

More Information on the Flu Shot

What viruses will this season’s vaccine protect against?

The flu vaccine is updated every year to combat the flu viruses that research indicates are most likely to cause illness during the upcoming season. The 2010-2011 flu vaccine is being made in the same way as seasonal vaccines have been made for decades. It will protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused so much illness last season, and two other influenza viruses (an H3N2 virus and an influenza B virus). About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against influenza virus infection develop in the body.

Even people that got vaccinated with the 2009 H1N1 vaccine or last year’s seasonal vaccine need to be vaccinated with the flu seasonal vaccine this year. This season’s vaccine provides protection against other influenza strains that were not in either the seasonal or the 2009 H1N1 vaccine last season and besides, immunity from a vaccine gotten last year may decline over time.

Should I get the 2010-11 flu vaccine even if I received the 2009 H1N1 vaccine late in the 2009-2010 flu season?

Yes. You need to get the 2010-11 seasonal flu vaccine even if you got the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine late last season. The flu vaccine is updated each season to provide protection against the three flu viruses that research indicates will cause the most illness. The 2010-11 flu vaccine provides protection against the 2009 H1N1 virus, and 2 additional viruses (an influenza A H3N2 virus and an influenza B virus) that were not included in the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine. So if you don't get the 2010-11 flu vaccine, you will not be protected against two of the three main flu viruses expected to circulate this flu season. Additionally, immunity wanes over time, so even if you received the 2009 H1N1 vaccine late in the 2009-10 flu season, you may not be protected against the 2009 H1N1 virus for the 2010-11 flu season.

What’s new about the Flu Vaccine for the 2010-11 Flu Season?

Who should get a flu vaccine this season?

All people 6 months and older are now recommended to receive annual influenza vaccination. This is a new and expanded recommendation for this season. In February, 2010, CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted in favor of "universal" influenza vaccination in the United States to protect as many people as possible against the flu.

Will I have to get two flu vaccines again this season?

No. Only one flu vaccine is being made this year and most people will only need to get vaccinated once. There is one exception to this: CDC recommends that children aged 6 months through 8 years of age who have never received a seasonal flu vaccine get two doses of vaccine spaced at least 4 weeks apart.

·         Two doses given at least 4 weeks apart are recommended for children aged 6 months through 8 years of age who are getting a flu vaccine for the first time. Children who only got 1 dose in their first year of vaccination should get 2 doses the following year.

·         All children 6 months up through 8 years of age getting a flu vaccine for the first time need two doses, at least 4 weeks apart, the first year they are vaccinated in order to develop immune protection. This includes children who received one or two doses of the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine, but who have never received a seasonal flu vaccine.

Just... be Cautious!

Be cautious using Topamax for WEIGHT LOSS ONLY… PLEASE!

Please, check with your Primary Care Physician before starting any "New" Medication.

One disheartening fact is... I DO NOT believe this medication has even been

Approved by the FDA!

If being treated with this medication for Weight Loss - ask a lot of Questions!

I found these COMMENTS below when I “Googled” the medication, Topamax, on the internet…

“I don't prefer Topamax for weight loss as I think it is very bad and terribly dangerous to take it for weight loss”. “I've been on Topamax  for 1 month (I also take Celexa for depression). No weight loss yet, darn it. But I have experienced the tingling in my fingertips and feet, forgetfulness and loss for words. Sometimes, I have to stop and think how to spell or pronounce a word”.

“The side effect I have that really worries me is the dizzy / off balance feeling. Sometimes when I turn my head,  I get really lightheaded. … or if I'm standing and I turn to walk or look at something I almost fall over. It's not the head rush feeling you get from standing up too fast either. It happens everyday more than 10 times a day. Has anyone else had this side effect”?
  

“It was first marketed as a diet pill (as told by my doctor), but women weren't losing enough weight on it. When I took it for 15 days, I lost 12 lbs. I advise everyone I know not to touch Topamax. I personally believe it does more harm than good”.

Again - a lot of "Positive Reviews" on it's Original Intent for... Seizures, Epilepsy, and Migraines.

Topamax for Weight Loss

Topamax seems to work FANTASTIC for Seizures, Epilepsy, and Migraines –

be CAUTIOUS when taking this medication for Only Weight Loss.

This drug may cause Severe Drowsiness, Emotionless, Moodiness, Feeling Unfunctional and Sluggish. Plus, may make your Skin - scratchy and dull, making your Nails very brittle, and causing major Hair loss.

If you think about it… all the chemicals that; for example, calm an electrically excited brain - will go to work on your normally functioning brain. So, your body is looking at ways to calm parts of your body down – this is by taking it’s nutrients from your body creating issues; such as hair loss, brittle nails, and even dry, patchy skin.

Workshop Aims at Managing Chronic Conditions

Hendricks Regional Health has another Great Program!

"Living a Healthy Life With Chronic Conditions" is a six-week course that will be facilitated by CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions.

Learn to communicate better with your doctor, make daily tasks easier, reduce stress and anxiety, and take back control of your condition. This workshop is open to participants with chronic conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes and more.

Caregivers and relatives of participants, who would benefit from problem solving skills related to managing a chronic condition, are also welcome. This class meets on six consecutive Tuesdays. There is a $10.00 registration fee per participant. Register online >

Flu Shot Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine as soon as they are available this fall. Our Hendricks Regional Health Immediate Care Centers - in Avon and Plainfield - now, have flu shots for ages 3 and up. Cost is $35 and we file with all insurance plans.

Saturday Mammogram Appointments in October at HRH!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a great opportunity to think about your early breast cancer prevention plan. The American Cancer Society recommends women age 40 and up have a mammogram every year and continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.  

Our Danville location already offers early and evening hours. And throughout October, we'll be rolling out the pink carpet with convenient Saturday appointments. A referral is not required for screening mammograms. Request a mammogram online at hendricks.org/mammo or call (317) 745-3404.

Join us on facebook!

Join us today at facebook.com/hendricks.org to connect with our community of health experts and receive timely health tips, updates on wellness classes and information about hospital services.

This is all from the HRH web-site.

Treatment of Allergies

If you can't avoid triggers, or if avoiding them doesn't help your symptoms, talk to your health care provider about treatment. A variety of medications are available to treat allergies. These include antihistamines and decongestants, either alone or in combination. Nasal sprays, including nasal steroids and cromolyn sodium, also are effective. Allergy shots can provide long-term relief.

Online Medical Reviewer: Godsey, Cynthia M.S., M.S.N., APRN
Online Medical Reviewer: Lambert, J.G. M.D. 

Avoiding Triggers

You can't prevent allergies, but you can reduce your exposure to allergens, which will ease your symptoms. The following suggestions from the AAAAI can help you reduce your exposure and response to fall allergens:

• Wear a face mask while mowing or raking leaves. Better yet, have someone else do these chores for you.
• Cut back trees and brush that overhang your house and remove leaves, clippings, and compost from your yard.
• Repot plants outdoors.
• Shower and wash your hair after spending time outdoors.
• Delay outdoor activities until after midmorning, when pollen counts are highest. Also, try to avoid spending long periods of time outside on dry, windy days, when pollen is more likely to fill the air. You’re likely to have fewer symptoms on rainy, cloudy, and windless days.
• Avoid spending time outdoors in the afternoon if mold spores trigger your symptoms.
• Keep windows closed to prevent triggers from entering your home.
• Keep car windows closed and run the air conditioning while in the car. It’s often helpful to let the air conditioning run for a minute or two with the windows open after first turning it on, to eliminate any mold buildup in the system.

Avoiding Fall Allergy Triggers

Many people associate allergies with springtime, but ragweed pollen and outdoor molds that arrive in the fall bring just as much misery.

Thirty-six million Americans endure burning, itchy eyes; sneezing; sniffles; and chapped nostrils caused by allergic rhinitis or hay fever, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). People who have asthma often have allergies that trigger asthma attacks.

If allergies bother you in the fall, you’re most likely sensitive to one or more of the following molds, weeds, trees, or grasses.

Molds

Molds, which produce airborne spores, are common during autumn. Outdoor molds are plentiful in damp gutters, rotten wood, and fallen leaves. Damp fall weather also encourages mold growth indoors in bathrooms, kitchens, basements, carpets, houseplants, refrigerators, garbage cans, books, and upholstered furniture.

Weeds

Ragweed is the most common cause of late summer and fall hay fever symptoms in the United States. This yellow-flowering weed blooms from mid-August to the first frost. It’s most prevalent throughout the Northeast and Midwest, but almost every part of the United States has some ragweed pollen.

Trees and grasses

Most trees and grasses cause allergy symptoms in the spring, but those that pollinate in the fall—such as cedar elm, Chinese elm, September elm and eucalyptus—cause allergic reactions in autumn. Fall allergenic grasses include pampas grass and wild mustard.

Stressful Situation Tips

If you're chained to a desk throughout your workday, you may be even more likely to have stress-related outbursts.

About one-sixth of workers said anger at work led to property damage, and 2%-3% of workers admit to pushing, slapping or hitting someone at work, according to Reuters.

"With roughly 100 million people in the U.S. work force ... that's as many as 3 million people," Reuters reports.

Additionally, about 22% of U.S. workers say they've been driven to tears because of workplace stress and 9% say that stress has led to physically violent situations, reports RJC Associates, a career development firm.

Prevention: Smaller stressors can be handled with breathing and relaxation techniques at your desk or a break outside of the office, but some conflicts may call for mediation by an unbiased party.

And believe it or not, video games have been suggested as a method for easing workplace stress, according to CareerBuilder.com. With the job market recovering and more companies hiring, however, it's starting to look like new job prospects could be a promising way out of stressful work conditions as well.

Bacteria

Problem: "The desk, in terms of bacteria, is 400 times more dirty than your toilet," University of Arizona microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba told WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD - News). "People turn their desks into bacteria cafeterias because they eat at them, but they never clean them. The phone is the dirtiest, the desktop is next, and the mouse and the computer follow."

But bacteria problems at your desk could be more severe than Gerba thinks. Breadcrumbs and other food remnants get can get in between keys on your keyboard, attract rats and lead to unintended exposure to their germs. What's more, many raw and cooked foods need to remain refrigerated, and leaving them out for two hours or more is a food safety no-no.

Prevention: If you frequently eat your lunch at your desk, you may want to make sure you have hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to wipe down your work surface daily. That can also protect you from germs sprayed into the air by your coughing and sneezing coworkers.

If your office has a communal kitchen sink with a sponge, the American Dietetic Association suggests using paper towels instead, just to stay safe from bacteria.

The association goes as far as recommending that those who eat in the office bring a refrigerator thermometer and a meat thermometer as well.

Eye Strain

Problem: Office workers who spend hours a day staring at a computer screen might tell you that after a certain amount of time, their vision gets blurry and their eyes generally become more sensitive. Those symptoms (as well as too-watery or too-dry eyes, a headache or a sore neck) could be indications of eyestrain, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Prevention: To prevent eyestrain at your computer, increase your font size so you don't have to squint, suggests Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT - News) (though the font on this informative page might cause readers to do just that). You may also want to rest your eyes frequently by looking away from your computer screen and reducing any glare on your monitor, the Mayo Clinic suggests.

Other Joint Problems

Problem: The human body is meant to move, and staying in one position for too long can make joints feel tight. Sitting at a desk especially shortens and tightens the hip flexors, the muscles than help pull your legs toward your body, according to the Yoga Journal. And tight hip flexors can actually contribute to back pain as well since tight hips force the pelvis to tilt forward, compressing the back, Yoga Journal says.

Prevention: Besides getting up from your desk at regular intervals and walking around a bit, the Mayo Clinic recommends a number of stretches that can help loosen up your hips.

Lower-Back Pain

Problem: Sitting for hours on end, particularly if you have bad posture, can be devastating to your body over time if you don't get moving on a regular basis. And back pain is actually a major reason for missed work for adults of all ages, according to the Georgetown University Center on an Aging Society.

But bad posture at your desk goes beyond the obvious slouching. Sitting up straight but curving your back too much can be a cause of lower-back pain as well, notes the NIH.

Prevention: Besides being better aware of your posture as you're sitting at your desk, getting regular exercise including abdominal strengthening activities should relieve some of the pressure on your lower back.

Having too fat a wallet in your back pocket can be a bad thing as well. Sitting on a large wallet can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, which can cause sharp back pain, according to UAB Health System in Birmingham, Ala.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Problem: Any motion that is repeated over and over again can cause injury or pain, according to occupational-health-focused Denver Chiropractor Dr. T. Randall Eldridge. But carpal tunnel syndrome isn't just pain or soreness from too much typing. It's the tingling, numbness, itching or even sharp pain caused when a nerve that runs through the forearm is compressed by swollen ligaments and bones in the wrist, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Prevention: Before you're forced to treat carpal tunnel with acupuncture, drugs or even surgery, stretching and other exercises may help release tension in the wrist, the NIH says. And, contrary to what many believe, your wrists shouldn't actually rest on those cushy wrist pads that sit below your keyboard or mouse pad. They should actually be used as a guide for how high your wrists should be, according to occupational therapist to Marji Hajic. Hajic says hands should hover over the wrist rest and it should only be used as a rest in between bouts of typing.

Helping Your Adult Family Member with Diabetes Management

Meal planning, daily physical activity and blood sugar monitoring, medications. The day-in and day-out requirements of diabetes management can overwhelm those with this chronic disease.

"That's where loving family members can help," says Eve Gehling, R.D., a certified diabetes educator and author of "The Family and Friends Guide to Diabetes." "The best way to help someone with diabetes is to first learn what diabetes is and how it's treated."

Doing so will help you support their efforts to manage their blood-glucose levels, giving TLC when they're ill and preparing healthful meals they'll enjoy.

Steps to take

• Offer to go to doctor appointments together or attend a diabetes education program. "Check with your local health care providers or the local chapter of the American Diabetes Association to find out what diabetes conferences or workshops might be in town," says Gehling. "Offer to attend with them, or provide a ride or baby-sitting so your loved one can attend."

• Be active together. Go walking, go dancing or rake the lawn together. Not only does being physically active help diabetes management, it also reduces stress and increases energy levels.

• Help with food shopping and meal planning, especially if your family member should lose weight. The diabetes diet is one of the healthiest, promoting heart health and weight control. The entire family can benefit from following it. If you don't want to follow the entire diet, try to avoid foods high in sugar and fats, opt for whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

• Be aware of how you think about and use food. "Many people are brought up to express their love for others through food," says Gehling. "Try to show your affection in ways other than baking or buying sweets."

• Encourage your loved one to use a meter to check blood glucose levels. Blood sugar monitoring often is the most stressful aspect of diabetic management.

"Every blood glucose test gives useful information," says Gehling. "It provides the person with a better understanding of the fluctuations that can be caused by hormones, illness, exercise, stress or diet."

Frequent blood testing also helps people with diabetes learn how to fine-tune their diabetes control.

Gehling suggests family members not focus solely on the numbers; instead, she says they should congratulate their loved ones for checking their glucose levels regularly and encourage them to continue doing so.

Family members should learn the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. They should learn how to help the loved one manage diabetes if he or she contracts the flu or other illness.

Gehling also recommends family members provide support by giving positive reinforcement rather than pointing out negatives or nagging.

"The amount of support available from family and friends is an important predictor of successful diabetic management," she says. "The type of support needed will differ from person to person, so rather than assuming what's best for your loved one, simply ask how you can help. And after you ask, the most important thing to do is listen to the answer."

IMPORTANT!

Please, please, please.....

Do NOT believe everything on the "Television" or the "Internet"!

Always, always, always...

Consult with your Family Physician or Internist about your health.

Postive Ways to Live by...

Remember to live "ONE DAY AT A TIME"

The most useless thing to do .......... Worry
The greatest Joy............................... Giving
The greatest loss................. Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work................ Helping others
The ugliest personality trait...................... Selfishness
The most endangered species................... Dedicated leaders
The greatest "shot in the arm".................. Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome............ Fear
Most effective sleeping pill........... Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease........ Excuses
The most powerful force in life...................... Love
The most dangerous pariah................................. A gossiper
The world's most incredible computer...... The brain !
The worst thing to be without................... Hope
The deadliest weapon.... The tongue
The two most power-filled words............... "I Can"
The greatest asset............... Faith
The most worthless emotion................ Self-pity
The most prized possession................ Integrity
The most beautiful attire................... A smile!
The most powerful channel of communication........ Prayer
The most contagious spirit................ Enthusiasm
The most important thing in life.............. GOD

Everyone needs this list to live by...pass it along!!!