UA Health Link
January 2008
In this issue...
New Incentive Program
Schedule a Wellness Break
Weight Watchers Fairbanks
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Vitamin D and Your Body
January Wellness Challenge
Audiocasts
Upcoming Community Events
Program Links:
UA Health In Action Website
Online Wellness Center
Health Activity Tracker
On the UA Health In Action Website:
Employee Assistance Program
VSP, Vision Care Provider
UA Statewide Website
Upcoming
Community Events:
DECEMBER
Anchorage
Family Fun Skate, 1-3pm, Saturdays through, Mar 1, Westchester Lagoon
Juneau
Disco Skate, 6:30-8pm, Saturday, Jan 26, Treadwell Ice Arena.
Health Resources:
Find these and more on the UA Health In Action Website:
WinterFeelsGood.com
Prevention.com
Community Resource:
 Find a pool in your community.
Use the online swimmer's guide database to find details about pools in your area.
Search Swimmers Guide Pool Database.
Health Tool:
Check Your Symptoms
Want to know what your symptoms might be?
Use System Checker
Source: WebMD
Health Tip of the Month:
Would you like to get a Health Tip by email every month?
January tip preview: Exercise Equipment Infomercials. What's Worth the Call. Sign Me Up!
December Tip: Who Can You Trust? Finding Reliable Health Information on the Web
ARCHIVES: Health Tip
Disclaimer: The information contained in the UA Health Link eNewsletter is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice or treatment that may be prescribed by your physician. Before adhering to any WIN for Alaska or UA Health In Action's recommendations or undertaking any exercise program, wellness advice, fitness or diet regimen, you should consult your physician.
You are solely responsible for any actions that you may take based on information in the UA Health Link eNewsletter, and any such actions are at your own risk. Neither WIN for Alaska nor UA Health In Action is responsible for any injuries or other problems that might occur due to said actions.
Because the UA Health In Action program is an approved UA Statewide Benefit, "unsubscribe" is not available for the Health Link eNewsletter. |
Want to Be Healthier? We Can Help
Individualized Health Planning Sessions begin February 1
Get Healthy—an Easier Way
 Introducing...Individualized Health Planning Sessions (IHPs). Meet face-to-face with
one of our experienced Wellness Consultants at no out-of-pocket cost to
you. During a series of six sessions your Wellness Consultant will help
you develop a healthy lifestyle plan to meet your needs. From overall
health to endurance training, your Wellness Consultant will help you be
successful in reaching your goals.
IHP Wellness Consultants will be visiting departments at UAA and UAS January 9-18 to talk about the new program and schedule your first session.
IHPs begin in Anchorage and Juneau February 1.
Registration for sessions begins today, January 9. For registration
information and to read about our Wellness Consultants, visit the UA Health In Action website: www.uahealthinaction.com. Check your home mail in mid-January for additional program information.
IHP Teleconference
Want to talk with us about the new IHP program? Join the IHP Teleconference, Thursday, January 24 at, 11:30am
Call toll-free:1-877-221-1877, or 1-847-619-6349,
Access code: 9285195#
Being Healthy Pays
New Incentive Program begins February 1
"Get the Point" Wellness Incentive Program
Being healthy pays when you participate in the Get the Point Incentive Program. The tiered program gives you points for not only your physical activity but for also having a healthy lifestyle.
When you track your healthy activities in the Health Activity Tracker (HAT) monthly for six months, you'll accumulate points for things like eating well, exercising daily, listening to a Health In Action audiocast, and reading the Health Link eNewsletter. When you reach one of the tiered point goals at three months, you'll get a prize. At six months you'll get a cash card—loaded with up to $100, or a GPS! The more points you earn, the greater the reward.
The tiered program will be available beginning February 1. Check your home mail in mid-January for more detailed program information. Incentive Program Teleconference
Have questions about the program? Join our Incentive Program Teleconference, Wednesday, January 16, at 11:30am
Call toll-free:1-877-221-1877, or 1-847-619-6349,
Access code: 9285195# Health Activity Tracker Offline
In preparation for the new incentive program, HAT will be offline January 12-15. We will be purging participant activity data. If you have been using HAT and would like to keep a record of your completed activities, print a report from the "View A Report Of Your Monthly Activities" section of the HAT homepage by 5pm, Friday, January 11.
Schedule a Wellness Break
It's like a mini health fair that comes to you
A
Wellness Break is a free half-day event brought to you by WIN for
Alaska—your Health In Action Team. We offer blood cholesterol and
glucose screenings, chair massage (many locations), healthy snacks, a
power walk, and presentations. The format lets invitees drop in and out
or stay for the whole event.
Some of the presentation choices include:
-How to Use a Pedometer to Benefit Health
-Getting More Veggies in Your Diet
-Hydration Nation: Why Water is Good for You
-Health Activity Tracker Introduction
-How to Succeed at a Wellness Challenge
-Target Heart Rate: Optimizing Health and Fitness.
Contact us for more details, or download the Wellness Break Request Form and fax it to us, (907) 248-0751.
Fairbanks Weight Watchers
Another Information meeting scheduled
Weight Watchers at UAF begins January 22
Due to popular demand, another Weight Watchers information and registration meeting is scheduled:
The program has been extended to 17 weekly sessions, which includes 19 weeks of Weight Watchers e-tools, free. Payment of $186 is due at this meeting. Weight Watchers requires at least 20 people to register and pay at this meeting for sessions to begin January 22. Meetings will be held Tuesdays at 12pm in the VCA Conference Room.
Anchorage and Juneau
We know there is interest in Weight Watchers at UAA and UAS. We have contacted Weight Watchers about programs in these locations. They are still looking for instructors.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Exercise can be effective treatment
 January is now upon us and some of you may be feeling tired, sad, or less motivated. If these feelings seem to disturb you more in winter, you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).*
SAD is a type of depression linked to the changing of seasons, winter or summer. With SAD, most commonly people’s moods are affected by the shift into winter when the amount of daylight and the temperature outdoors decreases; this type of SAD can be referred to as winter-onset SAD. Summer-onset SAD also exists in which people experience anxiety, insomnia, irritability, decreased appetite, and weight loss as spring and summer roll around. Season changes, particularly spring to summer, may also produce a rare situation where, instead of depression, an individual may become hyperactive or exude excessive and constant elevation of his or her mood; this entity is sometimes referred to as reverse SAD and it creates symptoms of mania.
The key to SAD is to recognize cyclic mood changes. For example, if every January for the past couple of years you have felt anxious, crabby, or lethargic; slept excessively; craved comfort foods; avoided typically fun social situations; had difficulty focusing on tasks or gained weight, you may need to consider SAD and strategies to lessen its affects on your life.
The cause of SAD is unknown, but it seems to be a complex relationship between the affect of light on mood-altering hormones in the brain and our sleep patterns. It can also be related to our body’s adaptations to varying temperatures outside. Treatment for SAD includes light therapy, medications, counseling, proper nutrition, and exercise.
In regard to exercise, try to exercise outside as much as possible. Even overcast days provide ample light to combat SAD, and you will reap the benefits of “happy” brain chemicals that exercise releases. Exercise, whether outdoor or indoor, decreases stress and anxiety, which have a tendency to aggravate the symptoms of SAD. Exercise also has a tendency to boost self-esteem by providing goals and a sense of purpose, while toning and strengthening your body and improving fitness level; when you feel good about yourself, you are happier.
SAD or varying levels of the “winter blues” is treatable. Exercise, especially outdoor, can be a large component of your treatment plan.
*SAD is a serious disorder and if you are unable to manage it, please contact a health professional for assistance, like the University's Employee Assistance Program. If SAD is ignored or left untreated it can progress, just like any other type of depression, to include suicidal thoughts, social withdrawal, difficulty functioning appropriately at work, and substance abuse. Stephanie Yates
WIN for Alaska Wellness Consultant,
Physical Therapist, and Athletic Trainer
References:
www.webmd.com
www.mayoclinic.com
Vitamin D
Good for more than just strong bones
 Why Do We Need Vitamin D?
Make “no bones about it” Vitamin D is important! Study after study shows Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption & bone density. But wait, there’s more! Have you read about the accumulating research on Vitamin D’s role in reducing risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancers? How about the low Vitamin D status of people with increased risk for autoimmune disorders (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease)? It looks like our immune system, mental acuity, and even the health of our gums involve Vitamin D. There’s also research about decreased risk for falling, and increased production of fast twitch muscle fibers with adequate Vitamin D.
Our bodies make Vitamin D from the sun, but is that true in Alaska winters?
While there are many great benefits to living here, being “On Top Of the World” in the winter has little benefit when it comes to Vitamin D. The sun’s rays are too weak in the winter anywhere above the 40th latitude. (Take a peek at a map; that’s as far south as Salt Lake City!) Cloudy weather also interferes with making Vitamin D. Other risk factors for low Vitamin D: exclusively breastfed infants, repeated pregnancy-breastfeeding cycles, the elderly, having dark skin, taking steroids or anti-convulsant medications, having GI tract related problems (Crohn’s, Celiac, and fat malabsorption).
If you want to know your level, make sure your health care provider tests the level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in your blood. The level should be at least 75 nmol/l for adults. How Much Do We Need?
The recommendations are in question. Many experts in the field say we need the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), which is much higher. For ages 1-50, that’s 2000 IU (50 ug) a day versus the current 200 IU (5 ug/day)
How Much is too Much?
Vitamin D toxicity raises blood calcium levels, which can calcify soft tissues and create kidney stones. If you have pre-existing kidney problems, ask your provider how much Vitamin D is right for you.
Where do we get Vitamin D?
3.5 oz of salmon (360 IU), sardines (500 IU), canned tuna (235 IU), 1 cup milk, vit D fortified orange juice, or soy milk (100 IU).
 What about a supplement?
Step 1: Look for vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).
Step 2: Look for the USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia) Logo. Products with the USP logo have been verified for 1) contents, 2) no harmful contaminant levels, 3) ability to dissolve and release in the body, and 4) good manufacturing practices.
Cindy Salmon
WIN for Alaska Wellness Consultant,
Licensed & Registered Dietitian, Personal Fitness Trainer
References:
Supplementation With 800 IU Vitamin D3 is Inadequate in Winter in Maine
M. Nelson , C. Rosen , B. Hollis , S. Sullivan
Journal of the American Dietetic Association- 2007 August (Vol. 107, Issue 8, Page A55, DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2007.05.109)
Is Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation Overrated? Chin Lee , Darcy S. Majka
Journal of the American Dietetic Association- 2006 July (Vol. 106, Issue 7, Pages 1032-1034, DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2006.05.297)
Cranney A, Horsley T, O’Donnell S, Weiler HA, Puil L, Ooi DS, Atkinson SA, Ward LM, Moher D, Hanley DA, Fang M, Yazdi F, Garritty C, Sampson M, Barrowman N, Tsertsvadze A, Mamaladze V. Effectiveness and Safety of Vitamin D in Relation to Bone Health. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 158 (Prepared by the University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center (UO-EPC) under Contract No. 290-02-0021. AHRQ Publication No. 07-E013. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. August 2007.
http://www.usp.org/USPVerified/dietarySupplements/, December 15, 2007.
Nutrition Action Health Letter, November 2007, Center for Science in the Public Interest.
January Wellness Challenge
Water Exercise
Water exercise is easy on the joints and suitable for everyone. It can be as challenging as you want make it. It's a great alternative to outdoor exercise when Jack Frost is nipping at your nose.
Take this month's challenge...swim or exercise in the water at least three days a week this month.
Download and print this month's Wellness Challenge, Water Exercise. Put a check mark in the shaded box each day this month you exercise in the water.
 Check out your Online Wellness Center this month for information on Exercise, Thyroid Health, Healthy Weight, and Whole Grains.
Audiocasts
Exercise for your ears!
Available This Month:
How to be Successful at Exercise (7:30) WIN
Make Room for Good Fats in Your Diet (6:20) WIN
 Think of audiocasts as mini-wellness breaks for those days when you need some time for yourself, but the pile on your desk says otherwise.
Accessing an audiocast is easy:
1) Click one of the links
2) Turn up the sound on your computer
3) Press the play arrow once
4) Get informed
Audiocasts are also available on the UA Health In Action Website under "Programs." [go]
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WIN for Alaska, Inc.