Fall 2009
A quarterly newsletter for members of
®
Healthy Lifestyles
How to Beat the Flu Bug
Before It Gets You Down
Influenza (commonly called “the flu”) is a contagious respiratory illness
caused by a family of viruses. The information below from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention describes common flu symptoms,
how to protect yourself and those close to you from getting the flu, and
what to do if you get sick with flu-like symptoms.
Be Aware of Common Flu Symptoms
Influenza usually starts suddenly and may include the following symptoms:
Healthy Lifestyles
A quarterly newsletter for members
of Mountain State Blue Cross
Blue Shield, Inc.
Visit our website:
www.msbcbs.com
Phone: (304) 347-7663
Fax:
(304) 347-7684
E-mail: [email protected]
Editor - Debbie Starks
Healthy Lifestyles is published quarterly
for Mountain State Blue Cross Blue
Shield members to provide general
information. It is not intended to provide
personal medical advice, which should be
obtained directly from a physician.
It is the policy of Mountain State Blue
Cross Blue Shield to not discriminate
against any employee or applicant for
employment on the basis of the person’s
gender, race, color, age, religion, creed,
ethnicity, national origin, disability, veteran
status, marital status, sexual orientation,
or any other category protected by
applicable federal, state, or local law. This
policy applies to all terms, conditions,
and privileges of employment, including
recruitment, hiring, training, orientation,
placement and employee development,
promotion, transfer, compensation,
benefits, educational assistance, layoff
and recall, social and recreational
programs, employee facilities, and
termination.
2009 - All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
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Fever (usually high)
Headache
Tiredness (can be extreme)
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Body aches
Diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children
than adults)
Having these symptoms does not always mean that you have
the flu. Many different illnesses, including the common cold, can
have similar symptoms.
Know the Risks from the Flu
In some people, the flu can cause serious complications,
including bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of
chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure,
asthma or diabetes. Children and adults may develop sinus
problems and ear infections.
Best Protection Against the Flu: Vaccination
The single best way to protect yourself and others against
influenza is to get a flu vaccination each year. The “flu shot’ is
an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with
a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in
people older than 6 months, including those who are healthy and
those with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes
or heart disease.
Tips for Eating Without Tipping the Scale
Use these helpful tips for mastering the art of portion control.
Know what a serving is. Many people consume too much because
they exceed actual serving size recommendations. For some common
examples, ½ cup of ice cream should be about the size of half a baseball,
three ounces of meat or fish are about the size of a deck of cards and two
tablespoons of peanut butter are equal to the size of a ping pong ball.
Eat the right amount for you. The amount of calories you need to fuel
your body will not be the same as those needed by members of the
opposite sex or children. Consider your age, gender and activity level
when choosing how much you need.
Use a smaller plate. By using smaller dishes, you can limit the amount of food you eat. Studies have shown
that if you use a larger plate, you are more likely to overeat because more food is in front of you. With a smaller
plate—such as a salad plate––filling your plate isn’t as detrimental to your diet.
Break down leftovers. Instead
of keeping a meal’s leftovers in
one container, divide the leftovers
into separate portion-controlled
containers. This makes you less
likely to scoop out a large portion
when you’re in a hurry.
“A Taste of Ornish”
Open House
If you have heart disease or are at risk for developing it, now is the time to learn more
about the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease®. Please join us
for an Open House to learn the countless health benefits of this program. Experience
and sample the four components of the program: Nutrition, Stress Management,
Exercise and Group Support. Meet the professional team that will support you every
step of the way in improving your heart health.
Find an Open House near you.
St. Mary's Medical Center
Monday, Oct. 5, 2009
5:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Charleston Area Medical Center
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009
5:30 p.m
The Wellness Center @ City Hospital Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009
6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
West Virginia University Hospital
5:00 p.m.- 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009
Please call 1-800-879-2217 to register for the Open House. Space is limited.
Cut it in half. At restaurants,
request a “to-go” container with
your meal and immediately put half
of your entrée into the box.
Servings at many restaurants
contain enough calories for multiple
meals.
Go for individual servings.
At the grocery store, select
packages that are pre-divided into
individual servings. When you need
a snack, reach for one. Just make
sure you eat only one, because
eating multiple servings of the food
defeats the purpose of the individual
serving size.
Eat your fruits and vegetables.
Eating a small salad or apple before
the main course will help curb
your appetite and keep you from
overeating. Take your time while
eating to allow your body to
determine just how hungry you are.
Eat less—or no—meat. Make
meat-based entrees a small portion
of your meal. Instead, fill up on
vegetables and whole grains.
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The Path to Wellness begins with where you are right now
∏
What Will Your Wellness Profile Tell You?
It is widely known that genetics and the environment can impact
your health. But did you know that lifestyle habits and behavior
Unhealthy
lifestyle choices contribute to over 50% of
premature death and disease. Discover how your habits
can have an even more significant impact?
and lifestyle choices affect your health by completing the
HealthMedia® Succeed™ online Wellness Profile. It is easy and
only takes about 20 minutes to complete.
The Wellness Profile is a comprehensive questionnaire that covers
all aspects of your health including: nutrition, weight management
and physical activity, tobacco use, stress, injury prevention,
skin protection, immunizations and health screenings.
The profile evaluates key health-related
behaviors, assesses family history, current
health status and lifestyle-related
information. Based on your responses, HealthMedia
Succeed generates your Personal Plan for Healthy Living,
which is an action plan specifically designed for you. In
order to effectively address the multiple behavioral risk factors
that most people have, your Personal Plan for Healthy Living
addresses your individual behaviors according to your need,
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motivation, and perceived ability to change and then makes
Learn about the
recommendations and offers tools for taking the first steps toward a
HealthMedia
program that's
healthier lifestyle.
right for you!
Your personal plan will be unlike anyone else's. Every
sentence will be written precisely for you. Your plan will provide you with
personalized strategies designed by health care professionals to help you
make healthy lifestyle choices.
About HealthMedia's Healthy Lifestyle Programs
In addition to the Succeed program, HealthMedia offers programs for
nutrition, weight management, smoking cessation, stress management, and
back pain prevention and care. Because these programs start by learning
about you, they can create a personalized plan for you that is as unique as
your fingerprint. When you decide to take the step to take control of your
health, HealthMedia's programs can give you the tools you need to achieve
your goals.
GET STARTED ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS.
• Go to www.mybenefitshome.com.
• Complete the login process, entering your user name and password.
• If you do not have a user name and password, create one as instructed.
• Click “Your Health.”
• Click “Improve Your Health.”
• Choose HealthMedia Succeed.
• Take an inventory of
your health with
Succeed™
• Manage back pain
with Care™ for Your Back
• Manage your weight
with Balance™
• Stop smoking with
Breathe™
• Manage your chronic
condition with Care™
for Your Health
• Learn better nutritional
habits with Nourish™
• Learn to manage your
stress with Relax™
Blue Cross, Blue Shield and the Cross and Shield symbols are registered service marks of the Blue Cross and
Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans
HealthMedia Succeed, Nourish, Balance, Relax and Breathe are registered trademarks of HealthMedia, Inc.
Care for Your Health and Care for Your Back are service marks of HealthMedia, Inc.
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Healthy Lifestyles
When Breaking a Bone Signals Osteoporosis
People sometimes break a bone during an accident that the average person would
escape unharmed. For instance, a woman might break her wrist after tripping on a rug
and reaching out to catch herself. Another might break a
rib after falling during an exercise class.
A man, meanwhile, might break a hip during a fall in
which one of his legs seems to give way under his weight.
Fractures like these, which happen after a minor fall or
another mild impact, are called fragility fractures. Doctors call them that
because a person with healthy bones should be able to fall from a standing
height without breaking any bones.
If you have had a fragility fracture, you probably have a bone-weakening condition called osteoporosis.
What’s more, you are at risk of having other fractures and should take steps to protect your bones.
The most effective ways to do that are to take osteoporosis medications along with calcium and
vitamin D, and to be physically active.
Medications Cut Fracture Risk
Doctors recommend that all people who have had a fragility fracture take at least one osteoporosis
medication to lower the risk of breaking another bone. These include:
• Medications known as bisphosphonates, such as alendronate (Fosamax®) and ibandronate
(Boniva®)
• Raloxifene (Evista®), which is approved only for women
• Teriparatide (Forteo®)
• Calcitonin (Fortical®, Miacalcin®), which is approved only for women 5 years past menopause
who cannot tolerate bisphosphonates
• The hormone estrogen with or without the hormone progesterone (menopausal hormone
therapy), both of which are approved only for women.
Some of these drugs are more effective than others in lowering the chance of future bone breaks.
Each of them also causes different side effects. Whichever medication you and your doctor choose,
you will probably want to combine it with calcium and vitamin D supplements for it to work best.
Physical Activity Strengthens Bone
Physical activity helps protect your bones in two ways:
• It strengthens your bones, making them less likely to break
• It increases muscle strength, agility, and stability, making you less likely to fall.
The type of physical activity that has the biggest impact on bone health is weight-bearing exercise.
Weight-bearing exercise is any activity that forces you to support weight, including your own. Examples
include walking, weight-lifting, dancing, low-impact aerobics, and stair-climbing.
A Blues On Call Health Coach Can Help
To learn more about osteoporosis and bone health, call a Health Coach. Health Coaches are specially
trained healthcare professionals such as nurses, dietitians, and respiratory therapists. They are
available by phone, anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at no charge to you.
To talk to a Health Coach, call 1-888-BLUE-428. You can
also get information online at www.mybenefitshome.com.
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Dealing with a
Health Issue?
Ask a
Health Coach
Whether you’re dealing with heart disease or a sprained ankle, health problems can often feel
overwhelming. You may have questions you would like answered, or you may just want to talk to
someone who understands medicine. That’s why, at Blues On Call, we have made Health Coaches
available by phone, anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at no charge to you.
Health Coaches are specially trained healthcare professionals, such as nurses, dietitians, and
respiratory therapists. They have access to the most up-to-date health information and are standing by
to answer questions and support you in your medical decisions.
See for yourself how helpful a Health Coach can be. Here’s an example of a conversation between a
Mountain State member and a Health Coach.
Q: I read that people who participate in shared decision-making are more satisfied with their
medical care. What is shared decision-making?
A: When people are sick or troubled by a medical condition, they often think that there is only one
treatment for them. The truth is, many medical conditions can now be treated in more than one way.
In these cases, finding the “right” approach depends on the preferences of the person being treated.
That’s where “shared decision-making” comes in.
Shared decision-making is when people work with their doctors to find the treatment that best suits
them. As the name suggests, shared decision-making means that patients and doctors share the
responsibility of deciding on a treatment approach. In shared decision-making, your doctor is the expert
in medicine, but you are the expert in what’s important to you.
The first step in shared decision-making is to find out your options. If you have a medical condition that
can be treated in more than one way, your doctor can list your treatment options, explain how each one
works, and explain the possible benefits and harms of each. Sometimes one of the choices is whether
or not to have treatment.
The next step is to tell your doctor which choice you prefer and why. Then the two of you can discuss
your preference, and your doctor can offer his or her insight. In the end, you work together to choose
an approach. With some conditions, you can try one approach and later switch to another if it does not
work for you.
Health Coaches can help you prepare for important discussions
with your doctor. They can also offer videos and printed materials
that can help you understand the choices you face. To talk to a Health Coach, call 1-888-BLUE-428.
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PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #2784
CHARLESTON, WV
Post Office Box 1948
Parkersburg WV 26102
Plan Now to Save Your Baby’s Umbilical Cord Blood
Your baby’s umbilical cord blood is an irreplaceable
source of stem cells like those found in bone marrow,
and can only be collected within minutes of your baby’s
birth. The CorCell® Saving Baby’s Cord Blood®
program offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to preserve
these precious stem cells that could potentially be used
for disease treatment for your child in the future.
Today, there are over 70 diseases that are treatable
with cord blood stem cells and research occurring
around the world for more therapies in the future.
Clinical research results indicate that cord blood stem
cell transplantation is now considered the therapy of
choice for treating children with leukemia.
Enroll now and receive your member discount
Source: The Lancet, June 9, 2007
Umbilical cord blood can only be collected at birth and is safe and painless for mother and baby.
As a Mountain State Blue Cross member, you are entitled to a discount of 18% ($350) with the
CorCell® Saving Baby’s Cord Blood® program. Act now to preserve this life-giving resource for your
child. To enroll and receive a personalized collection kit, please visit www.msbcbs.com to link to
CorCell or call 1-888-326-7235.
CorCell provides services related to the collection and long term storage of umbilical cord
blood. Mountain State Blue Cross Blue Shield has arranged a discount for such services.
The discounted services, available to current members and which add value to the plan of
benefits are provided solely by CorCell and are not a covered benefit of Mountain State
Blue Cross Blue Shield. Please review CorCell’s program materials for more information
and instructions to access these services.
Healthy Lifestyles