May is Arthritis Awareness Month

by Anne Pagnoni

According to the CDC, over 50 million Americans are living with the pain and discomfort of arthritis.  Of these, 21 million are experiencing physical limitations due to the disease.  While arthritis is a word that most of us have heard, did you know that arthritis is actually a general term used to describe joint inflammation and that the term arthritis is used to describe over 100 different conditions impacting the joints?   While osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, and gout are other frequently occurring forms of arthritis.  Arthritis is seen more commonly in adults over age 65, but it can impact anyone including children. 

Arthritis is seen as a public health problem as it impacts such a large number of people.  As our population continues to age, the number of people living with arthritis is going to increase.  It is predicted that the number of adults living with arthritis will increase to 67 million by the year 2030 with at least one third being impacted with limited activity as a result. 

There are a variety of factors that have been shown to increase a person's risk for arthritis.  The risk of developing arthritis increases with age. Women are at a greater chance of developing arthritis than men.  Almost 60% of all people with arthritis are women.  Certain genes can increase a person's chance of developing certain types of arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus.  Excess weight can lead to someone developing osteoarthritis of the knees.  If someone has a job that involves them repeatedly bending and squatting, then they are at an increased risk of developing arthritis. 

There are things that you can do to protect your joints and help prevent osteoarthritis in particular.  Maintain your ideal body weight.  The more you weigh the more stress you're putting on your knees, back, hip, and feet joints.  Exercise regularly.  Exercise protects joints by strengthening the muscles around them.  Strong muscles keep joints from rubbing on each other.  When lifting or carrying items, use your largest and strongest joints and muscles.  This helps alleviate stress and prevent injury to smaller joints. Listen to your body.  If you're in pain, then you probably overstressed your joints. 

If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with arthritis, there are things that you can do to continue to live a relatively pain-free life.  While there are medications that can help alleviate joint pain and swelling, there are many things that can be done that don't involve medications.  Physical and occupational therapy, splints or assistive devices, and weight loss can all help control pain and maintain function.  For more suggestions on how to "do it easier" with arthritis, please visit Arthritis Today. 

For more detailed information about arthritis, please visit the Arthritis Foundation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Some might be surprised to learn that St. Patrick's Day is actually a religious holiday celebrated yearly on March 17th.  St. Patrick's Day commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland as well as the life of St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland.  It became an official Feast day in the 17th century but has gradually become a secular festival, which celebrates Irish culture in general. 

St. Patrick is said to have been born into a wealthy Roman Britain family sometime in the 4th century.  Both his father and grandfather were deacons in the church.  When he was 16 years old, he was taken captive by Irish raiders and was taken to Ireland where he was imprisoned as a slave.  Eventually Patrick was able to flee captivity and return to Britain.  Upon his return, he joined the church and studied to become a priest. 

In 432, Patrick said that God called him to return to Ireland so that he could bring Christianity to them.  After spending 30 years in Ireland, Patrick passed away on March 17, 461, and was buried in Downpatrick.  Patrick is held in esteem in the Irish church and is heralded for bringing Christianity to Ireland.  According to Irish folklore, Patrick taught the pagan Irish about the holy trinity by using the example of the three leaf shamrock. 

In the early days, the original color associated with St. Patrick's Day was blue.  Over time, however, green began to grow in popularity.  In the 1798 rebellion, Irish soldiers hoping to make a political statement and gather public attention, wore green on March 17th. 

In the mid 1990s, the Irish government began an initiative to globally showcase Ireland and its culture on St. Patrick's Day.  In doing so, the government hoped to make a day whereby all Irish descendents could join in on festivities celebrating their heritage and to have a celebration that was amongst the largest and greatest in the world.  March 17, 1996 marked the first St. Patrick's Day festival in Ireland.  By 2006, the festival had become five days long with almost 1 million people in attendance. 

In the United States, every year since 1991 March has been proclaimed Irish-American Heritage month.  Today St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by both the Irish and non-Irish alike.  For most Irish Americans, St. Patrick's Day is both a religious and festive day.  Many Irish-Americans start the day off with church services followed by parades, parties, Irish music and food, and dances.  Alcohol consumption on St. Patrick's Day has soared over the past several years as individuals are allowed to break their Lenten sacrifices in order to celebrate the day. 

One would think that the largest St. Patrick's Day parade would take place in Ireland; however, this isn't true.  The largest St. Patrick's Day parade takes place in New York City.  It has close to 15,000 people marching in the parade with almost 2 million in spectators lining the NYC streets. 

It needs to be mentioned that there are more Irish-Americans than there are Irish!  There are 36.5 million Americans claiming an Irish heritage.  Ireland, on the other hand, only has a population of about 6 million. 

Erin go braugh! 

Travel for Those with a Chronic Health Condition

By Anne Pagnoni

As the end of summer nears, you may be considering a last minute vacation. If you or another member of your party has a chronic health condition, then there are some things that you may want to do before embarking on that fantastic voyage.

As soon as possible prior to your trip, arrange to meet with your physician to discuss any risks which may be involved with you traveling. This is especially important if you are traveling internationally as you may need immunizations or preventative medications prior to departure. Ask your physician for copies of recent EKG, laboratory, and x-ray results to take with you on your trip. If you are traveling to a country where English is not the primary language, then you may wish to have your medical records translated to the destination’s primary language. Keep in mind that while you may speak the language, if you are in a medically unstable condition, then you may not be able to communicate your health needs with the treating physician.

If you will be on an airplane or in a car for a long amount of time and have a history of circulatory problems, then you will want to take precautions to avoid swelling in the legs and developing blood clots. Make sure that you get up out of your seat or out of your car every hour or two and take a short walk; perform leg lifts several times per hour while sitting in your seat; and wear compression stockings.

Begin packing your luggage a week or two ahead of time to make the task more manageable. Pack all medications and medical supplies in your carry-on luggage. Bring extra medications in case you are delayed on your trip. Make sure your medications are in their original bottles to avoid any unnecessary delay at customs.

Contact your wireless cell phone provider to make sure that your phone can work internationally. Have the names, phone numbers, and fax numbers for all treating physicians and your pharmacy. Make sure you have the local numbers as 1-800 numbers typically do not work outside of the country. Have phone numbers of the local hospital in the country where you’ll be staying.

If you suffer from blood sugar issues or require food to take medications, then have a light snack on hand. This is especially important if you are traveling by plane as meals are no longer always served during a long flight.