horan – Page 4 – TP Mechanical Blog

Choosing Medications Wisely

Posted on November 3, 2016November 2, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

Drugs And Warnings

The rising cost of prescription and specialty medications is alarming. The most recent example of how expensive these types of medications can be is the price hike of the life-saving EpiPen, which now costs more than $600 for one pack of two EpiPens.

If you take prescription medication, using the following strategies can help you become a wiser health care consumer and save you money:

Shop around—Drug prices are not the same at every pharmacy. You may be able to save money by shopping around.
Ask about drug substitution—When your doctor prescribes a drug, ask if a cheaper alternative is available or if an over-the-counter drug will work just as well.
Consider using a generic version of your prescription drug—Generic medications work just as well as brand-name drugs and can cost up to 80 percent less.
Look into discount card programs—Some drugstore chains offer discount prescription cards that provide additional discounts on your prescriptions for a small monthly or annual fee.

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Halloween Safety Tips

Posted on October 18, 2016October 4, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

For some Americans, Halloween is one of the most anticipated holidays. Unfortunately, it can also be rather dangerous. Use the following suggestions to help keep your child safe this year.

Costume Safety Tips

Choose fire-resistant costumes, wigs and accessories.
Avoid potentially dangerous props, like hard swords.
Opt for non-toxic face paint or makeup instead of masks.
Decorate costumes and treat bags with reflective tape if your child will be out after dark.

Trick-or-treating Safety Tips

Accompany children under 12 at all times.
Insist that trick-or-treating only be done in familiar areas.
Plan a route if older children are going alone.
Designate a specific time for children to return home.
Instruct children to never enter a stranger’s car or home.
Remind children to always look both ways before crossing a street, to be aware of their surroundings and to use sidewalks whenever possible.
Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home.
Discard treats that appear to be open or tampered with.

For more tips on how to celebrate Halloween safely, click here.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Posted on October 10, 2016October 4, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States. Top risk factors include getting older, race and family history of breast cancer, which are things you cannot change.

Regardless of your personal risk factors, you can use these prevention strategies to reduce your risk of breast cancer:

Maintain a healthy weight.
Exercise regularly.
Avoid exposure to carcinogens and radiation.
Abstain from drinking alcohol or limit intake to one drink per day.

In general, living a healthy lifestyle can help lower your risk of developing cancer and increase your chances of surviving cancer. If you are concerned about your personal risk of developing breast cancer, call or visit your doctor.

For more information on risk factors, prevention tips and breast cancer screening, visit www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/.

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Prevent Backpack-related Injuries

Posted on October 4, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, over 5,000 children under the age of 19 suffered backpack-related injuries last year. The vast majority of these injuries were caused by overloaded and incorrectly fitted backpacks.

Smiling Little Boy With Big Backpack Jumping And Having Fun While you may not have complete control over the weight of your child’s backpack, you can purchase a well-fitting, comfortable backpack. When shopping for a backpack, search for:

The proper size (never wider or longer than your child’s torso, never hanging more than 4 inches below waist)
Padded back and shoulder straps
Multiple compartments and a waist or chest strap to help balance the weight
Reflective, lightweight material

Purchasing a good backpack for your child is just the first step in preventing backpack-related injuries. Be sure to encourage them to always use both straps when carrying their backpacks and to only pack what is absolutely necessary to carry.

This article is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive, nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as professional advice. Readers should contact a health professional for appropriate advice. © 2016 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

Exercising the Body and Brain

Posted on August 18, 2016August 17, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

Studies have shown a strong relationship between the health of the body and the health of the brain. Exercise revs up complex processes inside the brain that can deter depression, help you stay calm and keep your mind sharp.

Exercise Boosts Mental Fitness

spark of genius brain The brain has approximately 86 billion neurons designed to give orders to the rest of the body through chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. Studies show that deficiencies of two of these neurotransmitters (glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA), can lead to mood disorders such as depression. However, moderate exercise can increase the amounts of the two neurotransmitters, contributing to increased mental fitness.

Exercise Decreases Stress

When you’re stressed, your brain secretes the “fight or flight” hormone, cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels can create a constant and unnecessary feeling of stress. But, if you exercise, you expose your body to “controlled stress,” which helps regulate your brain’s stress response, keeping you calmer.

Exercise Slows the Brain’s Aging Process

Your brain ages just like the rest of your body, but exercise can help the brain handle natural, age-related deterioration without taking a toll on your memory. Older adults who exercise have larger brain volumes than those who don’t. Plus, the brain’s hippocampus (which is responsible for memory and learning) is larger in people who are active. Exercising won’t make you smarter, per se, but it will help you remember things better as you age.

FDA Moves to Regulate the Sale of E-cigarettes

Posted on July 27, 2016July 21, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

Electronic Cigarettes Collection Isolated On White When electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, first entered the market, there were few rules regulating who they could be sold to and what warnings (if any) they must carry. In recent years, concerns about the safety of e-cigarettes has grown and many have criticized e-cigarette manufacturers for targeting teenagers with candy-like flavors like cookies and cream, chocolate and birthday cake.

On May 5, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, like hookahs, will be regulated in the same way that traditional cigarettes are. Retailers will now be required to verify that all e- cigarette customers are at least 18 years old, and they will no longer be able to distribute free samples to customers.

E-cigarettes With Lots Of Different Re-fill Bottles Previously, there were no regulations about disclosing the ingredients in e-cigarettes. Under the new rule, all manufacturers will be required to list what is in their products. E-cigarettes must also now carry warnings that they contain the addictive substance, nicotine, and they must come in child- resistant packaging.

In addition, all e-cigarettes that went on sale after February 2007 must gain FDA approval. Considering the fact that the e-cigarette market was virtually non-existent before 2007, this means that every e-cigarette, as well as every flavor and nicotine level, will need to be approved. This could be a very time-intensive and expensive process for companies. E-cigarette manufacturers will have two years to gain FDA approval.

Food Labels to Get a Makeover

Posted on July 21, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

On May 23, 2016, the FDA announced that food labels will be getting an overhaul. The new food labels will now list how many added sugars are in each product and more clearly define what a serving size is. Many Americans are unaware of how much sugar is added to foods they wouldn’t conventionally think of as sweet, like cereal, flavored yogurts and tomato soup. The FDA hopes that these new labels will help Americans better manage their diets.

The new labels will also use a bolder font to highlight the number of calories in each food, and labels will now include potassium and vitamin D levels—since studies have shown that many Americans are deficient in these areas.

Food labels will no longer be required to list vitamin C and A levels because deficiencies in these vitamins are now rare, according to the FDA. Calcium and iron amounts, though, will remain on the label.

Large food manufacturers will have two years to add the new labels to their products. Small manufacturers—those who generate less than $10 million in sales a year—will have three years to adhere to new labeling requirements.

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Coffee May Combat Alcohol’s Effect on the Liver

Posted on April 27, 2016April 12, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

According to researchers, drinking coffee may help reduce the risk of cirrhosis, a liver disease that is associated with the overindulgence of alcohol.

Cirrhosis is a potentially fatal disease that kills more than 1 million people worldwide every year. Its causes include immune disorders, excessive alcohol consumption and fatty liver disease, which is linked to obesity and diabetes.

bigstock-Coffee-1341489 Studies of over 430,000 participants indicated that the risk of cirrhosis was reduced with each additional cup of coffee consumed per day. That risk was reduced by the following percentages when compared to participants who didn’t drink any coffee:

One cup – 22 percent lower risk
Two cups – 43 percent lower risk
Three cups – 57 percent lower risk
Four cups – 65 percent lower risk

While the studies accounted for alcohol consumption, none accounted for other cirrhosis risk factors, such as obesity and diabetes.

Loneliness Considered a Public Health Problem

Posted on April 24, 2016April 12, 2016 by TP Mechanical Contractors

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

Scientists have identified significant links between illness and loneliness, making it a serious public health problem. The damage inflicted on the body by loneliness may be comparable to the effects of smoking, diabetes and obesity.

Researchers have known for years that lonely people are at a greater risk for metastatic cancer, heart attacks, Alzheimer’s and other illnesses. But they haven’t understood why until recently, when they discovered how the immune system responds in lonely people. What they found was that social isolation increased the activity of genes responsible for inflammation while it decreased the activity of genes that produce antibodies that fight infection.

These abnormalities were discovered in white blood cells called monocytes—one of the body’s first lines of defense against infection. When monocytes are immature, they cause inflammation and reduce antibody protection. Coincidentally, these immature monocytes are abundant in lonely people.

Evolution may be partially to blame. Scientists suggest that this link may be the result of the brain’s attempt to encourage socialization and cooperation as activities necessary for survival—causing us pain when we’re lonely the same way we experience pain when we’re hungry. The constant fear of this pain can make lonely people feel threatened, so they sometimes act negatively toward others. This makes it difficult for lonely people to make and maintain relationships and increases their chances of becoming ill.