Podcast #25

Welcome to edition #25 of Your Health, a podcast aimed at keeping you and your loved ones health, courtesy of Aurora Health Care. I'm Neal Linkon, Aurora's manager of Web Communications, and we always enjoy hearing from our listeners.  You can let us know what's on your mind by emailing us at internet@aurora.org.

In this edition, we'll get some good advice on deciding what supplements to take. We'll look at the differences between a cold and the flu, and we'll learn about one of the more unique services Aurora offers, Aurora Family Services.

Check out the aisles of your grocery store or pharmacy and you'll see an ever-growing array of supplements. Read the papers or check out the Internet, and you'll see everything touted from aloe to zinc.  But how do you know what you should take, or what makes sense?  We talked with Dr. John Whitcomb, the Medical Director at the Aurora Sinai Medical Center Wellness Institute, to get some common sense suggestions.

<interview transcript unavailable>

One of our email newsletters features the writings of Dr. Whitcomb, and past editions include a lot of information on supplements.  To see some samples or to sign up, go to www. Aurora.org/enews, and look for a newsletter called Healthy Diet.

Consider these statistics:

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35-50 million Americans are infected with influenza (the flu) during flu season, which typically lasts from November to March. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Americans suffer 1 billion colds annually.

With so many people affected by these two infections, it may seem impossible to avoid catching one, or both. But, you can greatly reduce your chances. Arm yourself with information about the common cold and the flu—and don't be the next victim.

The symptoms for a cold and the flu are somewhat similar, but they are different.  Here are some factors to help you determine which infection you may have.

A cold is a minor infection of the throat and nose. Although colds are usually mild, they are the leading cause of doctor visits and job and school absenteeism. More than 200 different viruses are known to cause symptoms of a cold. Cold symptoms usually last about one to two weeks.

Colds are extremely contagious. To prevent getting a cold:

• Avoid close contact with people who have a cold.
• Wash your hands often.
• Do not touch your nose, eyes, or mouth. This will help you avoid infecting yourself with germs you may have picked up.

Avoid spreading your cold to others by:

• Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue away.
• If you don't have a tissue handy then put your arm up over your face and sneeze into your elbow. (Sneezing onto your hands increases your likelihood of spreading the cold to others!)
• Wash your hands often.
• Limit close contact with others when you are sick.

Antibiotics will not cure a cold. In fact, you cannot cure a cold. But, certain things can help you reduce your discomfort, such as:

• Take certain over-the-counter medications. Acetaminophen (Tylenol®) to help relieve the aches and fever; decongestant and antihistamine to combat congestion
• Drink at least eight glasses of water and juice a day. This will help keep you hydrated.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine. These promote dehydration.
• Avoid smoke. It irritates an already sore throat and intensifies a cough.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Use a humidifier

The flu is in an infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by the influenza virus and spread through the air. The flu is also highly contagious.

The flu and its symptoms are more severe than those of the common cold. The flu can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia. In addition, it can be life-threatening for the elderly, people with lung disease, and anyone with a weakened immune system.

A flu shot can lower your chance of getting the flu. The Aurora Visiting Nurse Association offers flu shots usually in the fall. For more information, go to www.Aurora.org/Flu.

When you have the flu, you need rest. And until your symptoms are gone, it is a good idea to not go back to your full activity level. You also need plenty of liquids.

There are four antiviral medications available to treat the flu. They are only effective when taken within 48 hours after flu symptoms appear. These drugs can reduce the duration of your symptoms by a day or two and lessen their overall severity. You need to contact your doctor as soon as possible after flu symptoms appear to get the greatest benefit from these medications. Antibiotics will not work against the flu virus.

To relieve the aches and fever associated with the flu, you can try the same over-the-counter remedies we discussed for a cold.

You usually do not need to call a doctor if you have signs of the flu or a cold. However, you should contact your doctor if you experience any of the following difficulties:

• Your symptoms get worse
• Your symptoms last a long time
• After you feel better, you develop signs of a more serious problem, such as:
  - Sick-to-your-stomach feeling
  - Vomiting
  - High fever
  - Shaking chills
  - Chest pain
  - Coughing with a thick, yellow-green mucus

When a crisis or major change occurs in your life, you may feel unable to cope with it. That's why there's Aurora Family Service. We reach people in home, work, school and neighborhood settings:

• To identify and build on their strengths.
• To respect their ability to make the best decisions for themselves and their families
• To help them find solutions that work for them

We offer services ranging from in-office psychotherapy to intensive home-based mental health services, comprehensive services for the elderly and their families, parenting education and support, and financial counseling.  Generous donations allow us to offer services on a sliding scale to meet every budget and situation.

Family counseling

We provide counseling to help individuals and families resolve personal and relationship problems.

We work collaboratively with a variety of schools, churches, neighborhood organizations and other health and social service providers, both within Aurora and throughout the community.

Aurora Family Service provides high quality, family-focused counseling for individuals, couples and families experiencing problems such as anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, loss, divorce, unemployment, parenting issues or poor school or work performance.

Community mental health partnerships

Many people are reluctant to seek help. They are far more likely to seek medical treatment for physical complaints, which are frequently symptoms of unresolved social or family issues or lifestyle choices. Family Service partners with Aurora's care clinics, community resource centers and other care sites to provide marriage and family therapy and information and referral for their patients.

Parenting services

Prevention has been an integral part of our philosophy. Reaching parents early, before and immediately after they give birth, has proven more effective and less costly than intervening after problems have occurred.

By strengthening the capacity of families to nurture their children, our parenting education services promote health and well-being generation after generation.

We do that with programs like Supporting Today's Parents, in collaboration with six area hospitals and four community-based agencies. The program helps prevent child abuse and neglect and enhances parenting skills through supportive home visits, child development education and linkage to community resources.

The Nurturing Program is an innovative education and support program that parents and children experience together. In collaboration with Family Resource Centers, a series of group sessions based on the Nurturing Program model are provided right in participants' neighborhoods, led by trained parent educators who are themselves graduates of the agency's parenting education programs.

The First Time Parents Initiative is a coordinated, home-based support service for new parents. Assessments are provided at the hospital after delivery. Parents assessed as high risk are offered supportive home visits by a case manager who provides information on infant care, child development, linkage to needed services and monitors the parent's progress toward agreed-upon goals.

Wraparound Milwaukee is a community-wide initiative targeted at adolescents in the juvenile justice system, and emotionally disabled youth and their families. Through coordinated community services addressing the full spectrum of each family's needs, the program seeks to keep youth in their homes or communities and out of residential placement and further involvement in the court system.

ElderServices

Aurora Family Service provides a broad spectrum of personalized care for older adults and their families. Based on the belief that personal dignity and independence are essential for maintaining quality of life as people grow older, Aurora Family Service ElderServices is committed to finding better ways to help older adults remain in their own homes in safety and health, respecting their ability to make their own decisions.

Consumer Credit Counseling Services

Debt is easy to get into, hard to get out of. Consumer Credit Counseling Service can help you manage your finances and start you on the road to becoming debt free.

We'll help you:

• Consolidate your debt
• Reschedule your payments to make them more manageable
• Learn the skills and discipline necessary to put you in control of your finances

Professional education and development

Wisconsin's premier postgraduate professional school for marriage and family therapists, the Family Therapy Training Institute, or FTTI, pioneered the apprenticeship approach. Since its establishment in 1972, FTTI has provided mental health professionals the advanced skills they need to remain at the forefront of family systems therapy, with a two to three year program leading to eligibility for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

For over 50 years, Milwaukee Mental Health Consultants has helped nonprofit community agencies maximize their effectiveness in meeting the mental health needs of program participants. We contract with more than 40 mental health consultants representing a wide range of expertise, promoting the viability of smaller organizations reaching underserved populations.

Aurora Family Service is probably not what you'd expect from a health care provider. But these services support our community and help keep those in need a little healthier. To learn more, go to www.Aurora.org/AFS.

That's it for this edition of Your Health. Thanks for listening, and please let us know how we can help you by dropping us a line at internet@aurora.org. Until next time, I'm Neal Linkon.