Balanced Living

August 2007

Adult Immunizations,
Are You UpToDate?

August is National Immunization
Awareness Month

Immunizations aren't just for children. Adults need immunizations, too. Ask your doctor which of the following shots you may need.

Pneumonia
This vaccine protects against pneumococcal disease which can cause pneumonia (a serious lung infection), bacteremia (bacteria in the blood), and meningitis (bacterial infection of the covering of the brain). According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 1 out of 20 people who get pneumococcal pneumonia die from it, as do about 2 out of 10 people who get bacteremia and 3 out of 10 people who get meningitis. Anyone can get pneumococcal disease, but people who are 65 years and older, very young people, and people with special health problems are at greater risk.

Who should receive it?
All people ages 65 and older; people younger than 65 who have a chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, heart or lung diseases, sickle-cell disease, alcoholism, and cirrhosis; and adults with conditions that weaken immune systems, such as kidney failure, damaged spleen or no spleen, HIV or AIDS, and cancers. Alaskan Natives and certain Native American populations are also at higher risk. The injection usually is given once, however, people age 65 or older who received their first immunization before they were 65 and more than 5 years have passed since the immunization, need a second immunization. Others who will need a second immunization include those with a damaged spleen, sickle-cell disease, HIV/AIDS, some cancers, kidney failure, and organ or bone marrow transplants.

Influenza
This shot protects against the influenza virus, which can cause chills, headache, sore throat, dry cough, runny nose, and body aches. According to the Centers for Disease Control, influenza causes an average of 36,000 deaths a year, mostly among the elderly. The best time to get this shot is October or November of each year.

Who should receive it?
Anyone age 50 or older; people with diabetes or chronic heart, kidney, blood or lung problems, such as asthma and emphysema; health-care providers; and women who will be more than three months pregnant during flu season. Many health care providers encourage all adults to have the shot annually.

Who should avoid it?
People who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome within six weeks of getting a flu shot, and anyone with a severe allergy to eggs.

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
This immunization (MMR) protects against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles).

Who should receive it?
Women of childbearing age whose immunity to MMR is low, which can be determined by a blood test. If your immunity is not up to par and you're considering pregnancy, you'll need a shot three months before conception. Women should avoid getting pregnant for 4 weeks after getting MMR vaccine. Pregnant women should wait to get this immunization until after they have given birth.

A person who is 18 years or older, who was born after 1956, and does not know if he/she had the vaccine or the diseases should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.

Who should avoid it?
People who are ill at the time the immunization is scheduled; people who have had an allergic reaction to gelatin, neomycin or a previous dose of MMR.

Hepatitis A
This vaccine protects against Hepatitis A, a liver infection.

Who should receive it?
People who live, work or travel outside the United States; military personnel; food-service workers; men who have sex with men; intravenous drug users; people with chronic liver disease; people with clotting-factor disorders (hemophilia); people who work in day-care centers; and people who work or live in institutions or group homes.

Hepatitis B
This series of shots protects against a potentially deadly liver disease that can lead to liver cancer.

Who should receive it?
The vaccine is routinely given to newborns, but those who did not have the vaccine as a child, should have it as an adult if they: are international travelers to countries where the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is common; are in jobs where they might be exposed to blood or blood products as part of the job (as a laboratory or hospital worker, for example); are an intravenous drug user; are a man who has sex with men; have had more than one sexual partner in the past 6 months; have recently acquired a sexually transmitted disease; live in a household with a person who has an acute infection with HBV or is a chronic carrier of HBV. It is also recommended that clients and staff of institutions for the developmentally disabled and people on kidney dialysis should have the immunization.

Tetanus and Diphtheria Booster
A Td booster can protect you against diphtheria, a potentially fatal bacterial infection, and lockjaw, a paralysis of the muscles of the neck and throat that's more common in developing countries.

Who should receive it?
All adults, every 10 years.

Varicella-Zoster
This shot protects against chickenpox, a contagious viral infection that can be fatal in adults.

Who should receive it?
Anyone who didn't have chickenpox as a child and is at high risk for exposure or transmission, such as: health care workers and contacts of immunocompromised people; teachers of young children; day care employees; residents and staff in institutional settings (college students, military personnel, inmates in correctional institutions); international travelers.

Who should avoid it?
Pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant within 4 weeks of getting the vaccine.

Meningococcal Vaccine
This shot protects against bacterial meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib). All young children now get this vaccine.

Who should receive it?
College freshmen, especially those who live in dormitories, are at higher risk for meningococcal disease and should be educated about the vaccine's availability. People who travel to countries where Hib is common should consider this vaccine.

For more information:
www.partnersforimmunization.org

BreastFeeding vs. FormulaFeeding

August 1st to 7th is World
Breastfeeding Week

It’s no t easy being a new mother. There’s a lot of information available that may confuse you about what’s right and wrong for caring for your newborn. When it comes to breast-feeding versus formula-feeding, you need to have all the facts in front of you to make the right decision. Consider these points:

Breast-Feeding

Human milk is the best possible form of food for a baby. It's already balanced and provides needed antibodies.
Nursing your baby gives you skin-to-skin contact, which is soothing and pleasant for both of you.
Breast-fed babies may nurse as often as once an hour.
Breast milk is more easily and completely digestible than formula.
Breast-fed babies have fewer health problems.
With breast-feeding, only the mother can feed the baby, unless she pumps and stores her breast milk.
If you're not sure if you want to breast feed, try it at first-you can always change to formula later on.

Formula-Feeding

Others can help feed the baby.
Formula takes longer to digest than breast milk, so formula-fed babies need to be fed less often.
Colds and diarrhea are more common in formula-fed babies.
With formula-feeding, you always know exactly how much your baby is eating.

Burping

If your baby gets cranky during feedings, stop and burp him. Formulafed babies tend to take in more air than breastfed babies, so burping after every 2 or 3 ounces can be helpful. If you're breastfeeding, you can burp your baby before switching breasts. If your baby shows no sign of fussing while feeding, you can wait until she's done eating before you burp her. Your baby will probably burp within one or two minutes after eating, but don't force it. Try these methods:

Hold your baby upright over your shoulder; pat or rub her back gently.
Hold her upright in a sitting position, leaning slightly forward, with your hand across her stomach and chest, rubbing or patting her back gently.
Place her face down over your lap, and rub or pat her back.

For more information:
http://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/content?sub=10000294
www.lalecheleague.org

Buying and Redeeming
Mutual Funds

You can buy mutual fund shares directly from a mutual fund company or from a securities broker. Either way, buying and redeeming are relatively easy. To buy shares directly from a mutual fund, you send money to the fund. Redeeming shares works the same way. In all cases, the customer (you) executes all transactions with the mutual fund company. Many funds also allow you to redeem shares over the telephone.

You can also set up an automatic investment plan to do your work for you. Under this plan, you can have a fixed amount of money withdrawn monthly from a financial institution account and sent to the fund. Using this option requires that you first authorize it on your application form. Most mutual funds allow it. Many funds require initial investments over $1,000. However, many of them waive this requirement if you agree to an automatic investment plan that withdraws from your account until you reach the required minimum.

You can also set up an automatic investment plan to do your work for you.

Buying shares from a broker works much the same way. The primary difference is that the broker saves you the work of executing your own orders, since in this arrangement it is his or her responsibility to execute all transactions with the mutual fund company. The majority of mutual funds purchased from brokerage firms also allow the customer to benefit from the ability to easily redeem shares or participate in automatic investment plans. For specific details on how your brokerage fund handles the processes of buying and redeeming mutual fund shares, be sure to ask your broker.

Note: Exchange-traded funds have become more popular recently. Unlike open-end funds, exchange-traded funds do not buy and sell securities in their portfolios daily. Since the portfolio value always depends upon the market value of the same pool of securities, exchange-traded funds are traded in the secondary stock market rather than redeemed by the mutual fund company, as are open-end mutual funds.

For more information:
http://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/content?sub=10000096

Legal Consequences of Abuse

Child Abuse
It's a crime in every state for a parent, or a person in the role of parent, to intentionally or recklessly injure a child. The injury involved may be:

Physical
Psychological
Both physical and psychological

A state may require a parent to accept parenting training or assistance.

In extreme cases, the state may remove the child from the parent's home and place the child in an alternate home, usually with a relative or in foster care. In extraordinary cases, where the parent's conduct has been particularly outrageous or the parent shows a lack of capacity for rehabilitation, a court will terminate the parental relationship between the child and the parent. The child may be placed with a new family for adoption.

Each state has a procedure for reporting child abuse cases to an appropriate authority. Each state also requires some individuals to report any observed incidents of abuse. This typically applies at a minimum to:

Teachers
Medical professionals
Law enforcement personnel

Some states expand this reporting responsibility to all citizens.

Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is violent conduct between:

Spouses
Family members
Those residing in the same household as those who cause or threaten injury

When the violence is between adults, a state generally won't get involved unless the conduct becomes criminal in nature. Most states have a list of criminal statutes that, if violated, qualify as domestic violence if the victim is a family member or lives with the person violating the statute.

The legal consequences of domestic violence vary from state to state.

In general, courts are authorized at a first (or "emergency") hearing to act on a temporary basis. For example, when there is reasonable suspicion that domestic violence has taken place, the court may temporarily restrain the person accused of domestic violence from contact with the victim. When appropriate, the court will restrain the person accused from contact with the children of the victim or the parties.

Temporary restraints may require the accused person to move out of the shared residence. These restraints may also bar contact at the workplace or school as well as the residence, heaping a substantial burden on the person accused of domestic violence.

Shortly following a first or emergency hearing, a court must hold a full hearing or a trial to determine whether or not domestic violence occurred.

If the court decides there was domestic violence, the judge can offer a wide range of remedies, which differ from state to state. These remedies may include:

Permanent restraints
Award of money damages
Liability for child or spousal support
Orders regarding child custody and visitation

Additionally, if a court finds someone to have been violent, the court may refer the matter to law enforcement for criminal prosecution. Most states have shelters to house victims of domestic violence.

Many police departments intervene aggressively in domestic violence situations to encourage the victim to bring criminal and civil charges against the abuser.

For more information:
http://fhahelps.personaladvantage.com/content?sub=10000438

Thriving in a Diverse Workforce

As minority members enter the workforce in larger numbers, they have a right to expect respect and fair treatment. Use these points to make sure that diversity is respected in your workplace.

Avoid Offensive Language
Improper language can promote tension in the workplace. It also reflects badly on an employer, when that language is used in the presence of clients or customers.

Encourage gender-neutral language in speech and reports.
Avoid racial and gender epithets.
Before using a questionable term, ask yourself, "How would I feel if someone said this to me?"

Treat People as Individuals
One of the positive aspects of diversity in the workplace is that people get a chance to see each other as individuals whose attitudes, beliefs, opinions and style are far more significant than any traits they may have in common with others in their group.

Foster an Atmosphere of Openness About Diversity Issues
Different cultural practices can cause people to inadvertently offend each other.

Encourage employees to feel safe to openly discuss their feelings about cultural miscues.
Discourage prying into employees' private lives.

Watch Out for Stereotypes
Unfortunately, most of us make unconscious assumptions about people in groups different from our own. Make a list of possible assumptions you make and be on guard against acting on them.

Set an Example
All workplaces need people to set standards of behavior that help reinforce an environment of respect. Be willing to lead the way in your workplace.