CalCPA ProtectPlus

If you haven’t been to the CalCPA ProtectPlus website lately, you have a surprise—a healthy surprise—in store. Reaching out to fulfill an important aspect of the Group Insurance Trust mission and foster the well-being of its members, a new “Wellness” feature on the ProtectPlus site opens up to an array of resources for information on diet, health, exercise, and treatment options.

A series of scrolling panels link to some of the most highly regarded sources of health information on the Web, including Healthy Women; WebMD, The American Heart Association, The American Diabetes Association, and RealAge. Here is a sample of what you will find.

HealthyWomen

Sponsored by the nonprofit National Women’s Health Resource Center, HealthyWomen.org has a long history of providing unbiased and accurate health information. It was named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by ForbesWoman. The site features information on a wide range of topics from pregnancy and reproductive health to diet, aging, and alternative medicine.

WebMD

One of the most popular health-oriented sites on the Internet, WebMD offers credible, in-depth medical news, features, reference material, and online community programs. Aiming to provide the most important and relevant health news each day, the site’s independent journalists draw upon medical journals, conferences, federal or state government actions, industry materials, and interviews with medical experts.

The American Heart Association

One of a group of sites created by the American Heart Association, Heart.org provides a wealth of information on cardiovascular diseases and stroke. In addition to explanations of heart-related health conditions, there are guidelines for caregivers and educators, resources for training in CPR and first aid, current research findings, and tips for healthy living.

American Diabetes Association

The official website of the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes.org offers a concise introduction to the basics of diabetes. It explains the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, describes the symptoms, provides tips on prevention, and offers solid tools for living with the disease. Additionally, there are links to community resources, research, and advocacy measures.

RealAge

A highly praised commercial site, RealAge.com is dedicated to providing quality science-based health and lifestyle content available in a personalized, user-friendly, and easy-to-understand format. The editorial team is made up of health editors, writers, and researchers. Major categories address common issues around exercise, food, medical issues, and remedies. 

CLICK HERE to visit our new Wellness page

And More … Delivered to Your Desktop

For those who would like regular input or updates on health issues but need a reminder, RSS feeds are available from the American Heart Association and WebMD. The ProtectPlus website provides links to sign up for these, plus you can also sign up for an RSS feed of the ProtectPlus blog where Trust staff posts information on many topics of interest to members.

Finally, the Trust has contracted with HopeHealth for the semi-monthly delivery of a new eMagazine “The Healthy CPA.” You should have already received your first issue, with features and short squibs on health, diet, exercise, and even financial issues—information that you can put to use the day it arrives. If you didn’t receive it or overlooked it, here’s a link for retrieving it.

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The following article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contains valuable information about the dangers of having diabetes and being pregnant and what you can do to help prevent or control the condition and keep your baby safe. 

Control your blood sugar before and during pregnancy to help prevent birth defects and other poor outcomes, such as miscarriage or stillbirth.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot use the sugars and starches (carbohydrates) it takes in as food to make energy. The body either makes too little insulin in the pancreas or cannot use the insulin it makes to change those sugars and starches into energy. As a result, the body builds up extra sugar in the blood. Controlling diabetes means controlling blood sugar by keeping it within a certain range by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and taking medicines (pills or insulin) as ordered by the doctor.

How can uncontrolled blood sugar affect my health and the baby?

Your health

The extra sugar in the blood can damage your body’s organs, such as the heart, eyes, and kidneys, if it is allowed to build up in the body too long. It can also cause:

• Increased chance of needing C-section
• Preeclampsia
• Miscarriage or stillbirth
• Early or preterm birth

Baby’s health

• Birth defects
• Extra large baby
• Low blood sugar in infant after birth
• Increased chance of overweight obesity and diabetes in your child later in life

Are there different types of diabetes?

There are three common types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the pancreas makes no insulin or so little insulin that the body can’t change blood sugar into energy. Type 1 diabetes must be controlled with daily insulin shots, diet, and exercise.
• Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body either makes too little insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes to change blood sugar into energy. Often type 2 diabetes can be controlled through eating a proper diet and exercising regularly. Some people with type 2 diabetes have to take diabetes pills or insulin or both.  (continue reading…)

The following wellness tip is from eatright.org – the American Dietetic Association.

Food is more than just fuel. Your diet can help fight disease and keep you looking and acting younger. How a man eats throughout his life can help predict how well (or not) he ages.

Eating Right

A healthy diet for men includes: 

• At least 2 cups of fruits and 2 ½ cups of vegetables each day. At least once a week, eat tomatoes or something made from tomatoes like pasta sauce. The antioxidant lycopene found in tomato products is good for prostate health.
• At least five 1-ounce servings of whole grains each day. Replace refined grains with whole-grain bread, cereal, pasta, brown rice or oats
• At least two to three servings of fish per week
• At least 38 grams of fiber a day for younger men; 30 grams of fiber a day for men older than 50
• Unsaturated fats like oils, nuts and salad dressings in place of saturated fats like full-fat dairy foods, butter and high-fat sweets
• 4,700 milligrams a day of potassium from fruits, vegetables, fish and milk.

To read more information on healthy eating tips for men, visit The American Dietetic Association.

Nowadays, more and more people are turning to gluten-free diets – either because their doctor has advised it or simply because of personal choice. Below is the definition of the term “gluten-free” and is taken from Wikipedia.org:

A gluten-free diet is a diet completely free of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. Gluten is also used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often hidden under “dextrin”. A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease, the related condition deratitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergy.

Additionally, a gluten-free diet may exclude oats. Medical practitioners are divided on whether oats are an allergen to celiac disease sufferers or if they are cross-contaminated in milling facilities by other allergens.

You can read more information about gluten and interesting facts about Celiac disease, a condition directly linked to gluten being in your diet, by clicking here.

The web is a great resource for people who are on gluten-free diets. When you switch over to this special diet, you may find it challenging because of the limitations of ingredients you can use, but after some research, you will find that food can taste just as good if not better than what you have been used to – and the important thing is you will be feeling much healthier! The following gluten-free recipe is from allrecipes.com:

Grilled Mexican Steak

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cumin seeds
• 5 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 2 bunches cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 1 (3 pound) skirt or flank steak

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cumin seeds
• 5 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 2 bunches cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 1 (3 pound) skirt or flank steak

Nutritional Information

Servings per recipe:  6

Amount Per Serving

• Calories:  548  
• Total Fat:  45.4g
• Cholesterol:  72mg
• Sodium:  675mg
• Total Carbs:  7.4g
• Dietary Fiber:  2.1g
• Protein:  29.1g

Click here for detailed nutritional information.

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(article Via The Medical News photo source)

This flu season more than 2900 Rite Aid pharmacies are offering regular seasonal flu shots and starting September 1, flu shot locations and clinic dates will be available at www.riteaid.com and by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494.

Many Rite Aid pharmacists have already been giving regular seasonal flu shots following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice that anyone who wishes to reduce the risk of getting the regular seasonal flu get a flu shot as soon as they are available. More than 2,000 certified immunizing pharmacists in more than 1,500 Rite Aid stores will give regular seasonal flu shots now and throughout the flu season. After locating a Rite Aid store with an immunizing pharmacist at www.riteaid.com or toll-free 1-866-751-1494, customers should call the store to check if appointments are necessary. Rite Aid pharmacists also can counsel customers and answer questions about both the regular seasonal flu and H1N1 flu.

Nurses will be giving regular seasonal flu shots on a first come, first served basis at flu shot clinics in more than 1,800 Rite Aid stores from September 23 through mid-December. Clinic locations will be available September 1 at www.riteaid.com or by calling toll-free 1-866-751-1494. (continue reading…)