Life with Chronic Conditions: Immunizations

While the world is focused on Covid-19 vaccinations, with flu shots running a close second, there appears to be some confusion about what shots you should get as an adult and when.

 

Why vaccinations are important: If you received vaccinations as a child, that protection can wear off over time. Jobs, different health conditions, lifestyle, and/or where you travel can increase risk for other diseases. Vaccinations not only lowers risk of getting sick but it also reduces spreading of disease.

 

What about side effects? These are generally mild and go away on their own. Severe side effects are rare.

 

Where can I get vaccinated? More and more pharmacies are taking on the role of vaccinating their community. However, health centers, health fairs, hospitals, doctors offices and even places of work can offer vaccines.

 

Payment? Some vaccines are given free, such as the Covid-19. Most state health departments have immunization programs. Check your state’s immunization program  to determine what the state pays for and where you can be vaccinated. Some primary care providers (PCP) do charge a small administration fee. If that’s an issue, contact your local health department. Most health insurance plans cover the cost of recommended vaccines.

 

How do I know if I’ve been vaccinated: Your PCP should have a record of the immunizations they’ve given you. If you are vaccinated by a pharmacy, make sure they’ll provide this information to your PCP.

 

Adult Immunizations: The CDC recommends the following for all adults:

All adults need a seasonal flu (influenza) vaccine every year. Flu vaccine is especially important for people with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, and older adults. Every adult should get a Tdap vaccine once if they did not receive it as an adolescent to protect against pertussis (whooping cough), and then a Td (tetanus, diphtheria) or Tdap booster shot every 10 years. In addition, women should get the Tdap vaccine each time they are pregnant, preferably at 27 through 36 weeks.

 

Adults with COPD, asthma, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions may have unique vaccine needs. Check out schedules and recommendations for immunizations if you have one of the following conditions:

-       COPD,Asthma

-     Heart Disease

-       Heart Disease, Stroke, or Other Cardiovascular Disease  

-       Diabetes 

-       Cancer 

-       Asplenia

-       HIV/AIDS 

-       Liver Disease 

-       Renal Disease

 

Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule for Ages 19 or older 2021

Take a Hygge Break Part I: Set the mood

As a follow up to Saturday’s post Life with Chronic Conditions: Adjusting to Time Change-Falling back-SAD November’s “take a breaks” will be Hygge breaks.

 

Not familiar with the term? Hygge (pronounce hoo-gha) is Danish word meaning coziness, well-being and warmth-just what we need to cope with darkening days of November and December.

 

So here are some suggestions to try today:

• Schedule techno breaks-those times of the day when computers, TVs, phones etc. are turned off and for all intents and purposes, you are unreachable. Try to maintain that daily.

 

• Set the mood with candles. In direct lighting is key. Avoid overhead lighting as much as possible.  Put cushions on couches and over stuffed chairs. Pull out throws to enhance the resting experience. Thrift stores are good places to look for accessories to help create a feeling of coziness.

 

• Light a fire in the fireplace or woodstove. Don’t have one consider making a table top one.

 

• Create a display of fire and water by placing floating candles in a large bowl of water.

 

• Make a soup or stew.

 

• Create no clutter zones where you can just relax and not be bothered by something that you see and think, “I need to put that away.” For tips on de cluttering, check out The KonMari Method for Tidying When Affected by a Chronic Condition  Life with Chronic Conditions: Staying Tidy/Alternatives to Retail therapy

 

• Bring the outside in. Colored leaves, greenery, branches, and stones can be incorporated in small displays throughout the house. Take branches and put them in a large vase. String tiny lights on the branches.

 

Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board.

Life with Chronic Conditions: Adjusting to Time Change-Falling back-SAD

Tonight we “fall back” to standard time. While I welcome the change, as I walk at 7:30 in the morning and sunrise has been later and later, not everyone feels that way.

 

The time change does affect people in different ways. Many report feeling sluggish, tired and even depressed when the clocks falls back. Those who are subject to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), find it more noticeable after the time change. However, the good news is that most people adjust in a day or two.  

 

Below are some tips to help make the adjustment easier.

 

Set clocks before going to bed. This is a good time to check batteries in smoke and radon detectors as well as any medically related devices that require batteries. Note that devices like smart phones and computers will automatically make that change for you.

 

Take meds according to the clock. If you take your medications at 8 am and 8 pm, continue to do so. Use your phone alarm to alert you. There are few medications that will be adversely impacted by an hours delay. One exception is pain medications. While easing into the change by waiting 15 minutes, then 30 and so forth until you’ve adjusted to standard time can be helpful, it may not be appropriate for everyone. If you have questions about your meds, talk to your medical provider.

 

Go to bed later on Saturday with the idea that you’ll wake up closer to your normal time on Sunday morning.

 

Stick to your schedule: Getting up at the same time and keeping it as normal as possible will help make the shift a bit easier.

 

Have a nighttime ritual to help ease yourself into sleep.

 

Avoid long naps as it will disrupt your sleep.

 

If you are affected by SAD: Living in the north, SAD is more of an issue than for our southern counterparts. Symptoms may include: feeling depressed in a seasonal pattern. Tired or low energy. Loss of interest in activities you normally enjoy. Changes in appetite or weight gain. Sleeping too much.

 

If you think you may be dealing with SAD, consider the following:

 

-       Talk to your medical provider about how you are feeling

 

-       The Danish practice of “hygge,” (pronounce HOO-ga) is all about creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying life with others or alone. Research shows that it can help reduce the impact of SAD. Check out the following links: Reviving Hyggefor Covid 19  Eight Ways to Find ‘Hygge’ This Pandemic Winter 

 

-       Light boxes can be helpful. You’ll typically sit in front of the light box about 20-30 minutes a day. This will result in a chemical change in your brain that boosts your mood and alleviates symptoms of SAD. It’s recommended that the light box is used within the first hour after waking up. Ask your medical provider for tips in selecting a light box. 

 

-       Dawn simulators can help some people. Instead of waking up abruptly with beeping or loud music, they produce light that gradually increases in intensity just like the sun. Use full spectrum light simulators as this is the closest to natural sunlight.

 

-       Go outside and enjoy the sunlight: While I walk between 4-5 miles a day, last December I started walking three days a week with a friend. No matter the temps or the weather, we walked. On the coldest of days we had icicles hanging from our hats and masks, and on the hottest buggiest days we used fans to keep the mosquitos at bay. I find I look forward to these walks and it did a lot to get us through a dark Vermont winter. Definitely recommend a walking partner.

 

Learn more about SAD and its treatment.

Life with Chronic Conditions: Homeopathy

Recently we’ve been looking at alternative and complementary medicines. Today’s post focuses on homeopathy.

 

History of Homeopathy: Founded by Samuel Hahnemann in the late 1700s. Hahnemann believed that if a patient had an illness, it could be cured by giving a medicine which, if given to a healthy person, would produce similar symptoms of that same illness but to a slighter degree. Thus, if a patient was suffering from severe nausea, he was given a medicine which in a healthy person would provoke mild nausea. By a process he called ‘proving’, Hahnemann claimed to be able to compile a selection of appropriate remedies. This led to his famous aphorism, ‘like cures like’, which is often called the ‘principle of similars’; and he cited Jenner's use of cowpox vaccination to prevent smallpox as an example…. Hahnemann claimed that homeopathy could cure all or virtually all diseases, his followers modified these claims in the hope of becoming accepted by orthodox medical practitioners. A Brief History of Homeopathy

 

Homeopathic products come from plants, minerals or animals (such as crushed whole bees). Homeopathic products are often made as sugar pellets to be placed under the tongue; they may also be in other forms, such as ointments, gels, drops, creams, and tablets. Treatments are “individualized” or tailored to each person—it’s common for different people with the same condition to receive different treatments. Homeopathy uses a different diagnostic system for assigning treatments to individuals and recognizes clinical patterns of signs and symptoms that are different from those of conventional medicine. National Institute of Complementary and Integrative Medicine.

 

What the Research Says: Some homeopathic practitioners argue that carrying out randomized controlled trials is an appropriate activity for orthodox medicine but inappropriate for homeopathy, where effectiveness should only be judged by patient satisfaction. That noted, in 2015, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council concluded,  after a comprehensive assessment of 1,800 papers,  that there is no reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health condition.

 

A 2010 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy 

concluded that homeopathic remedies perform no better than placebos and England’s National Health System (NHS) will no longer fund homeopathy

 

There are no FDA approved products labeled as homeopathic. While products labeled as homeopathic are generally labeled as highly diluted, some of these products have been found to contain measurable amounts of active ingredients and therefore could cause significant patient harm. Additionally, FDA has tested products that were improperly manufactured, which can cause incorrect dilutions and increase the potential for contamination. Further, some products labeled as homeopathic are marketed to treat serious diseases or conditions. See a list of products that the FDA is concerned about.

 

Why do some people swear by homeopathy? While many scientist chalk up homeopathy success stories to the “placebo effect”- believing a treatment will work-ultimately it may be more about the consultation than the pills.

 

One of the tenants of homeopathy is the practitioner spends quite a bit of time with the patient-at least an hour and can extend to two or three hours.  They will be checking for not only physical health but also mental, emotional, complaints, what makes symptoms better or worse, sleep patterns etc. Consequently, homeopaths may offer a variety of ways to deal with symptoms that have nothing to do with the pill but everything from a good consultation. In fact research supports that it’s the consultation and not the remedy that yields positive results. Homeopathy has clinical benefits in rheumatoid arthritis patients that are attributable to the consultation process but not the homeopathic remedy: a randomized controlled clinical trial. 

 

Does insurance cover homeopathy? Most insurance carriers do not cover homeopathy. A report in US News in 2020 states that only 11% of the major insurers cover it.

 

If you want to try homeopathy: Before trying anything new, discuss it with your medical provider.

Take a Break: Make some floating candles/Halloween paper lanterns

While working on a spooky path for our community, I came across several items that are easy to do and look great. The first is floating candles,  Harry Potter style, that look terrific hanging from trees.

The second is a Halloween lantern. Link here for the tutorial and watch the video below for extra tips. 

 

Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board.

 

 

 

Life with Chronic Conditions: Does Yoga Help?

Lots of people swear by yoga, but what does the research show? What type is best? Does it help with chronic conditions? Is it easy? Can I do it?

 

What is yoga: Rooted in Indian philosophy, yoga as practiced in the USA tends to emphasize physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama) and meditation (dyana). There are various styles of yoga ranging from gentle practices, such as restorative yoga, to physically demanding ones.

 

What the research says: According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, research suggests that yoga may:

• Help improve general wellness by relieving stress, supporting good health habits, and improving mental/emotional health, sleep, and balance.

• Relieve low-back pain and neck pain, and possibly pain from tension-type headaches and knee osteoarthritis. The American College of Physicians recommends yoga for first-line treatment of chronic low-back pain

• Help people who are overweight or obese lose weight.

• Help people quit smoking.

• Help people manage anxiety or depressive symptoms associated with difficult life situations.

• Relieve menopause symptoms.

• Help people with chronic diseases manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. Conditions that have been helped by a yoga practice include: cancer; COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), HIV/AIDS, and asthma.

 

While a lot of research has been done, subjects  (generally female, white, well-educated and with relatively high incomes), small sample size and the type of yoga practice, can result in skewed findings. However,  it does appear to be helpful for particular health issues as noted above

 

Yoga is part of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, which has been heavily researched and been found to reduce pain, stress, anxiety, and depression; and improve physical health. There are indications that it boosts the immune system and helps in the recovery from flu and colds.

 

If you are not familiar with MBSR, it was pioneered by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s. It is an 8 week program, which is now offered by many hospitals, health centers and other groups. It is generally covered by insurance. Learn more about MBSR at the UMass Memorial Health Center for Mindfulness.

 

Check out the following for MBSR and Yoga

• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program Booklet from Maine Health: Includes Yoga poses.

• MBSR Yoga of Dr. Lynn Rossy from the University of Missouri’s Wellness program

 

WHAT IS THE BEST TYPE OF YOGA FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC CONDITIONS? Before starting any physical exercise program, check with your medical provider. They may know of free classes, can help you enroll in an MBSR program, and/or make specific recommendations about what may be best for you.

 

When looking for a class/teacher, ask if they are experienced in working with chronic illness. Avoid descriptors like “power” or “intense” and instead look for “gentle.” Check out Yoga and Chronic Illness: Choose a Practice that Works for You from Yoga International or The Ultimate Cheat Sheet on Yoga for Chronic Illness.

 

Below are some videos that might be helpful.

 

 

 

 

Since I spend more hours than I care to think working on-line, I've found the 3 exercises to do at your desk from Kripalu helpful.

 

 

 

 

 

Take a Break: Try to solve Jack the Ripper case

The Jack the Ripper murders occurred in the East End of London in 1888 and ever since, many people have tried to solve the mystery of who Jack the Ripper was. Periodically someone publishes the definitive proof that they’ve solved the crime, but "case closed" has yet to be issued.

 

The Jack the Ripper website  lets you study all aspects of the Jack the Ripper murders and of Victorian crime in general, as well as learning about the history of the area in which the crimes occurred. You can also study what the police were doing to try to catch the murderer and read about the public reactions to the crimes. You can also cast your vote for the person that you think is the likeliest suspect.

 

Lots of fascinating things to do and learn at this website.

 

Not interested in today’s activities, try the Take a Break Pinterest Board.