June is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month

Myasthenia gravis is caused when there is a problem transmitting nerve signals to the muscles telling them to contract. In myasthenia gravis the body's own immune system blocks that signal. Many people with myasthenia gravis have problems with swallowing, facial expressions and eye and eyelid movement. Go to MedlinePlus for more information on myasthenia gravis.

The local chapter of the Myastenia Gravis Foundation of American meets the first Saturday of every other month (August 6, October 1, and December 3) at Allied Services in Scranton (475 Morgan Highway) in the Charles Luger Outpatient Center Community Room. For more information contact Vera Krewsun (570)687-6009. For information regarding the location contact Allied Services (570) 348-1407.

More Benefits of Exercise

We all know we should get up and get moving but three recent studies offer even more incentives for regular exercise.

Researchers reported at recent meeting of the American Heart Association that blood pressure in people who are less physically active rises more in response to a high-salt diet, and that following a low-salt diet may be especially important in lowering blood pressure among people who are not active.

            See the full article here.

In another study researchers at the Mayo Clinic discovered that fitness, not body weight, is a more important predictor of whether people with clogged blood vessels in their heart will die in the near future.

            Read about this study here. 

Lastly, researchers at an American College of Cardiology meeting reported that consistent, lifelong exercise preserves heart muscle in the elderly to levels that match (or even exceed!) those of health, non-active people.

           

            Read about this study here.

Disease Clusters in NEPA

The Natural Resources Defense Council just published a report, Health Alert: Disease Clusters Spotlight the Need to Protect People from Toxic Chemicals, reporting a cluster of Non-Hodkin's lymphoma and lupus in Wilkes-Barre associated with workplace exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE). In Luzerne, Schuylkill, and Carbon counties there is a cluster of polycythmia vera, which some blame on a chemicals and suspected carcinogens in a power plant and recycling facility. Go to the the NRDC website for a link to the full paper and the state fact sheet on Pennsylvania.

Area Comes in Second….in Unhealthy Behavior

According to the Daily Beast, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area is second worst in the nation in terms of smokers.  To figure out which cities have the worst smoking problem, they measured which had the largest population of smokers (1/3 of score), where smokers smoked the most cigarettes per day (1/3 of score) and where fewest smokers tried to quit (1/3 0r score).  

#2, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pennsylvania
Smokers: 23.5%
Cigarettes per day: 16.8
Tried to quit with gum: 25.8%
Tried to quit with patch: 27.6%
Tried to quit with support program: 9.3%

New CDC Report on Health Behaviors

The Center for Disease Control has just published the Surveillance for Certain Halth Behaviors Among States & Selected Local Areas--United States, 2008. (MMWR Surveillance Summaries Dec 10, 2010 59(SS10);1-221)  The report gives statistics for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area on things like teeth extractions, medical screening, smoking, drinking, leisure time, weight, and some specific diseases (asthma, coronary artery disease, stroke). The report is over 200 pages long and takes a while to load. 

 Health Info NEPA has links to information on many of these local public health issues. 

Look Good...Feel Better

The American Cancer Society, Wyoming Valley Unit, offers free workshops for women who are in cancer treatment to help them deal with temporary changes in their appearance from radiation or chemotherapy treatment. The workshop is facilitated by trained cosmetologists who teach women with cancer how to understand and care for changes in skin and hair that may occur during treatment. The programs are offered in partnership with the National Cosmetology Association and the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association Foundation.


Participants receive a makeup demonstration and a complimentary makeup kit. Each session lasts about 2 hours. Registration is free, but required! Call 1-888-227-5445, option 1 to register.


Local Schedule for 2011


Wyoming Valley Healthcare System @ Wilkes-Barre General Hospital

575 N. River St.
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Sessions are held in the Radiation Oncology Department at 4:00 p.m.


Wednesday, April 27
Wednesday, June 1





Candy's Place
190 Welles St., Suite 120
Forty Fort, PA
Sessions begin at 5:00 p.m.


Monday, January 24
Monday, March 28
Monday, June 27
Monday, August 22
Monday, September 26


Geisinger Henry Cancer Center
1000 E. Mountain Blvd.
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Sessions start at 10:30 a.m.


Thursday, March 10
Thursday, April 7
Thursday, May 19
Thursday, July 14
Thursday, September 15
Thursday, October 20
Thursday, November 17

NIH News in Health

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) produces a monthly health newsletter for consumers called NIH News in Health. The October issue features articles on menopause and prostate problems. Past issues have covered topics like Alzheimer's Disease, depression, stroke, and diet. There is a button to sign up for email updates when a new issue is published.