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July Personal Best health, wellness newsletter now online

The July issue of the Personal Best health newsletter is now online.

Warm weather means spending lots of time outdoors in the company of bees, ticks and mosquitoes. Ticks can transmit Lyme disease and mosquitoes can carry the West Nile virus, so preventing bites is important. Summer Buzz has tips for keeping pesky insects away.

Scientists are not yet certain why 45 million Americans are plagued with recurring headaches. Some consider severe, chronic headaches to be a disorder on par with epilepsy or Alzheimer's. Read "What Causes Your Headaches" in this month's newsletter for more on the types of headaches, how they cause pain, and what can be done to alleviate some of that pain.

Many regular exercisers walk a fine line between getting enough exercise and getting too much. When workout programs exceed the body's ability to adapt to the physical demand placed on it, the result can be overtraining or burnout. Read more in the Fitness section on how to avoid overtraining and overuse injuries that commonly result with overtraining. The fitness column also has information on the number of calories to consume each day to maintain health.

Stress is a part of life. While stress is not always a bad thing, too much of it can be hazardous to your health. Do you know if you are Too Stressed? The July issue of Personal Best has a list of symptoms that can indicate serious stress. If you have two or more symptoms, it might be time to evaluate what needs to change and to set new priorities.

Better Sleep for Summer Shiftwork focuses on how shift workers can get enough quality sleep. The most important thing to do is to go to bed and get up at the same times each day, according to the article.

Frequent travelers should keep health supplies on hand. This month's newsletter has a list of some of these items.

Americans have generally very good dental health. But many people will develop gum disease to some degree, starting as early as adolescence. Read more about the stages of gum disease in "Keep All Your Teeth" and what can be done to protect those pearly whites.

Safety Solutions this month is about sun safety. Personal Best helps Laboratory workers reinforce what they already know about sun safety; protecting skin from sunburn, preventing dehydration, and avoiding heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

The recipe of the month is Italian citrus salad.

Also in this issue: Relaxation aids smoking cessation; starting an exercise program; diet advice for travelers; fireworks warnings; the right tie pressure; obesity nearly as deadly as tobacco; allergic rhinitis at work; top-rated fruits and vegetables; drug therapy for hypertension; and what weakens immunity.

Personal Best is published by Scott Publishing in Edmonds, Wash., and is part of the Lab's Positive Health Directions Program in Occupational Medicine (HSR-2) and Benefits and Employment Services (HR-B).

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