All of this information underscores the importance of taking proactive steps to know your risk and to prevent this disase. By knowing your heart numbers and seeing a cardiologist both men and woman can reduce their risk of having a heart attack or knowing the when to take symptoms seriously.

Read the full article here.

Most people think they know when food is “done” just by “eyeballing it.” They look at it and trust their experience.   Experience is good, but it sometimes can be misleading. For instance, cooking by color is definitely misleading. Meat color — pink or brown — can fool you!

Digital, Dial, & Disposable

Thermometers are turning up everywhere in today’s kitchens in all shapes and sizes — digitals, instant-reads, probes for the oven and microwave, disposable indicators and sensor sticks, pop-ups, and even barbecue forks. They’re high-tech and easy to use.

Some thermometers are meant to stay in the food while it’s cooking; others are not. Some are ideal for checking thin foods, like the digital. Others, like the large-dial thermometer many people use, are really meant for large roasts and whole chickens and turkeys.

Choose and use the one that is right for you!

• Dial Instant-Read
• Digital Instant-Read
• Disposable Temperature Indicators
• Fork
• Dial Oven-Safe
• Pop-Up

Why Is It Important?

Millions of people get sick from dangerous bacteria in food every year.

Public health data in 2000 show that there are more than 5 times the number of dangerous bacteria in our food than we were aware of in 1942.

Many people don’t link their illness to foodborne bacteria. They think they have a case of the flu.

You can become sick anytime from 20 minutes to 6 weeks after eating food with some types of harmful bacteria.

Infants and young children, pregnant women, and older adults are at greatest risk for foodborne illness, as are all people with weakened immune systems caused by cancer treatment, AIDS, diabetes, kidney disease, and organ transplants.

Temperature Rules

Source:

United States Department of Agriculture, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Use_a_Food_Thermometer/index.asp (accessed July 27, 2011)

Reducing the amount of fat and saturated fat that you eat is one easy way to limit your overall calorie intake. However, eating fat-free or reduced-fat foods isn’t always the answer to weight loss. This is especially true when you eat more of the reduced fat food than you would of the regular item. For example, if you eat twice as many fat-free cookies, you have actually increased your overall calorie intake.

The following *list of foods and their reduced fat varieties will show you that just because a product is fat-free, doesn’t mean that it is “calorie-free.” Calories do count!

*Nutrient Data System for Research, Version v4.02/30, Nutrition Coordinating Center, University of Minnesota.

Source:

 National Institutes of Health, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/cal_cnt.htm (accessed April 11, 2008).

 National Institutes of Health, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/fat_free.htm (accessed April 11, 2008).

Licensure as a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) and Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC) requires extensive experience in the addictions field, advanced certification by the Indiana Counselors Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ICAADA), a bachelor or master’s degree, and significant years of clinical work in the field of substance abuse and addiction.

Lechleidner has served as the director of the Cameron Counseling Center for over three years and has provided substance abuse counseling for over 19 years. She holds the Indiana Advanced Certifed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor II (CADAC II) certification.

Sebring has been in the field of mental health and substance abuse counseling for twenty years and is also certified in Indiana at the advanced CADAC IV level. She works part-time at the Cameron Counseling Center and has a private practice in Michigan.

Schwan recently joined the Counseling Center’s staff, with thirty years of experience in substance abuse counseling. She is certified in Indiana at the CADAC II and Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) levels.

The primary goal of the program is to prevent perinatal transmission of hepatitis B infection by identifying and providing case management to infected pregnant women. This ensure initiation of postexposure disease prevention to their
newborns, completion of the hepatitis B vaccination series and post-vaccination testing.

One of the strategies to accomplish this goal is to conduct audits of maternal and newborn medical records in order to evaluate policies and procedures in the prevention of perinatal hepatitis B. In 2011, 65 records were reviewed at Cameron.

It can be difficult to blindly select a new fruit or vegetable. Cameron Hospital will periodically provide information on a variety of fruits and vegetables to help you choose ones that you will enjoy.

The Asian Pear

Asian pears are cousins to the pears that are typically seen in grocery stores. However, this fruit is similar to an apple and its many names reflect that characteristic. This fruit is also called the Chinese pear, Japanese pear, Sand, Nashi, and apple pear.

Asian pears differ from the traditional European ones. These pears are usually round, firm to touch when ripe, and are ready to eat after harvest. Asian pears reach prime quality when they ripen on the tree, like an apple and peach. These pears will be crisp, juicy, and slightly sweet with some tartness, especially near the core.

While European pears have the bulbous bottoms and tapering tops, they are not ready to eat until they are slightly soft and must be picked during the green stage and ripen at room temperature. European pears will be soft and juicy, with a sweeter, mellower taste. European pears will be brown at the core and have an unpleasant taste if they are tree-ripened.

There are several Asian pear varieties available. Japanese pears are more round in shape, while the Chinese pears are more oval or “pear-shaped.”

In the United States, the Japanese type of Asian pear called 20th Century or Nijisseki is the most popular. It is easily identified with its round shape and smooth yellow skin. Other common varieties include the Japanese bronze-toned Hosui pear and the pear-shaped Ya Li, a pale-green Chinese variety.

Selection

Select the most fragrant and unbruised fruit with little to no brown spots. Ripe Asian pears are hard and do not soften. They are ready to eat when purchased.

Storage

Asian pears keep well. You can store pears for one week at room temperature or up to three months in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Analysis

Serving size – 1 pear
Calories per serving – 50
Total Fat – 0
Cholesterol – 0
Sodium – 0
Total Carbohydrate – 13 g
Dietary Fiber – 4 g
Sugars – 9 g
Protein – 1 g

Source:

Centers for Disease Control, http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/asian_pear.html (accessed April 29, 2008).

Advances at Cameron have continued at a rapid pace in the last year with electronic health
record enhancements, new physicians, new clinical services, and planning for the new Cameron Hospital. As we move ahead, Cameron Memorial Community Hospital remains committed to high quality patient care, to excellence in customer service, to increased access to additional specialty physicians, and to keeping our costs among the lowest in the region to promote a healthy and vibrant community…Well into the FUTURE.

The publication is included in today’s Herald Republican.

A cardiac CT scan for coronary calcium is a non-invasive way of obtaining information about the presence, location and extent of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries. Calcified plaque results when there is a build-up of fat and other substances under the inner layer of the artery. This material can calcify which signals the presences of coronary artery disease (CAD). People with this disease have an increased risk for heart attacks.

The goal of a CT Coronary Calcium scan is to determine if CAD is present and to what extent, even if there are no symptoms. Some benefits of this procedure include:

• The scan is a convenient and noninvasive way of evaluating whether you may be at increased risk for heart attack.
• The exam takes little time, causes no pain, and does not require injection of contrast material.
• No radiation remains in a patient’s body after a CT examination.
• X-rays used in CT scans usually have no immediate side effects.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. Don’t become a statistic. Get more information and schedule an appointment, by calling Cameron’s Radiology department at (260) 665-2141, ext. 2739.

Menopause is a normal change in a woman’s life when her period stops. That’s why some people call menopause “the change of life” or “the change.” During menopause a woman’s body slowly produces less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This often happens between the ages of 45 and 55 years old. A woman has reached menopause when she has not had a period for 12 months in a row.

What is hormone therapy for menopause?

Hormone therapy for menopause has also been called hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Lower hormone levels in menopause may lead to hot flashes, vaginal dryness and thin bones. To help with these problems, women are often given estrogen or estrogen with progestin (another hormone). Like all medicines, hormone therapy has risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about hormones. If you decide to use hormones, use them at the lowest dose that helps. Also use them for the shortest time that you need them.

What are the symptoms of menopause?

Every woman’s period will stop at menopause. Some women may not have any other symptoms at all. As you near menopause, you may have:

• Changes in your period–time between periods or flow may be different.
• Hot flashes–getting warm in the face, neck and chest.
• Night sweats and sleeping problems that lead to feeling tired, stressed or tense.
• Vaginal changes–the vagina may become dry and thin, and sex may be painful.
• Thinning of your bones, which may lead to loss of height and bone breaks (osteoporosis).

Who needs treatment for symptoms of menopause?

• For some women, many of these changes will go away over time without treatment.
• Some women will choose treatment for their symptoms and to prevent bone loss. If you choose treatment, estrogen alone or estrogen with progestin (for a woman who still has her uterus or womb) can be used.

How do hormones help with menopause?

Hormones can help:

• slow bone loss
• reduce hot flashes
• treat vaginal dryness

Who should not take hormone therapy for menopause?

Women who…

• think they are pregnant
• have problems with vaginal bleeding
• have had certain kinds of cancers
• have had a stroke or heart attack in the past year
• have had blood clots
• have liver disease

What are the benefits from using hormones for menopause?

Hormone therapy is the most effective FDA approved medicine for relief of hot flashes, night sweats or vaginal dryness.

Hormones may reduce your chances of getting thin, weak bones (osteoporosis) which break easily.

What are the risks of using hormones?

For some women, hormone therapy may increase their chances of getting blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and gall bladder disease. For a woman with a uterus, estrogen increases her chance of getting endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterine lining). Adding progestin lowers this risk.

Should I use estrogen just to prevent thin bones?

You can, but there are also other medicines and things you can do to help your bones.

Should I use hormone therapy to protect the heart or prevent strokes?

No, do not use hormone therapy to prevent heart attacks or strokes.

Should I use hormone therapy to prevent memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease?

No, do not use hormone therapy to prevent memory loss or Alzheimer’s disease.

Do hormones protect against aging and wrinkles or increase my sex drive?

Studies have not shown that hormone therapy prevents aging and wrinkles or increases sex drive.

How long should I use hormones for menopause?

You should talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Again, hormones should be used at the lowest dose that helps and for the shortest time. (You should check to see if you still need them every 3-6 months.)

Does it make a difference what form of hormones I use for menopause?

The risks and benefits may be the same for all hormone products for menopause, such as pills, patches, vaginal creams, gels and rings.

Are herbs and other “natural” products useful in treating symptoms of menopause?

At this time, we do not know if herbs or other “natural” products are helpful or safe. Studies are being done to learn about the benefits and risks.

Source:

US Food and Drug Administration, http://www.fda.gov/womens/menopause/mht-FS.html (accessed February 20, 2009).

US Department of Health and Human Services, http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/menopause-treatment.cfm (accessed February 20, 2009).

More women die of cardiovascular disease than from the next four causes of death combined, including all forms of cancer. But 80 percent of cardiac events in women could be prevented if women made the right choices for their hearts involving diet, exercise and abstinence from smoking.

A heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, usually by a blood clot. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery begins to die.

Signs of a Heart Attack:

1. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back.
2. Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
3. Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
4. Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
5. As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

If you have any of these signs, don’t wait more than five minutes before calling for help. Call 9-1-1…Get to a hospital right away.

To learn more and participate in a free 12 week program Go Red BetterU which is an online nutrition and fitness program that can makeover your heart. Each week will focus on a different area of your health and provide step-by-step guidance. You’ll have access to everything from daily expert tips to an online journal.  You can also take the Go Red Heart CheckUp today to learn your risk. It’s free, only takes a few minutes and could save your life.  You will also find a wealth of easy-to-prepare meals that your taste buds—and your heart—will love. Sample the delicious recipes below, or browse all of our heart-healthy recipes.