Stay Safe in the Sun!

We all love vitamin D and a summer glow, but rays from natural sunlight and tanning beds can have some unintended long-term effects.  Harmful side effects from UVA and UVB rays can include: skin and eye cancer, accelerated aging of the skin including thin skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and liver spots, skin rashes from medication interactions with UV rays, aggravation of autoimmune diseases, and cataracts.

Some tips to stay safe in the sun include:

1.    SUNSCREEN!

2.   Cover yourself up – wear clothes, especially long sleeves and pants with SPF protection built in.  Don't forget to wear sunglasses with UVA/UVB protection as well!

3.   Stay in the shade – especially during peak sunlight hours

4.   Use self-tanner or bronzer – but know that they do not offer any protection from the sun!  Don’t let that glowing skin fool you - it's not like a tan.

5.   Eat beta-carotene – Present in carrots, yellow and orange squashes, cantaloupe, and other similarly colored fruits and vegetables, beta-carotene can give you a golden hue.

Looking for vitamin D in other places?  Tuna, salmon, and other fatty fish as well as supplement foods like milk and cereals are a safer way to get your vitamin D.  If you have low vitamin D, contact your doctor or nutritionist for information on how to safely supplement.



This post was inspired by:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/27/skin-cancer-americans_n_1545757.html?ref=health-news&ir=Health%20News


HAVE FUN THIS SUMMER!

New York City – Only the 22nd in the Country for Health?!

The American College of Sports Medicine recently published a study ranking the “healthiest” cities in the United States.  These rankings were based on a composite score including but not limited to Center of Disease Control (CDC) health reports, area and use of city parks, lifestyle behaviors like smoking or exercise, availability of farmers markets and recreational areas, and public school physical education classes.  From this weighted score, New York City ended up at a disappointing 22 out of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the USA.  The top 5 cities included Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, and Hartford.

What does NYC do well?

According to the study, NYC has a……higher percent of city land for parks, higher percent of space used for public transportation, higher than goal of biking or walking to work, and a higher number of primary health providers per capita...to mention a  few.

What could NYC work on? 

NYC’s areas of weakness include a…higher percent of asthma, angina or coronary heart disease, and diabetes, higher death rate from cardiovascular disease, fewer park acres per capita, fewer farmer markets, baseball diamonds, and park playgrounds per capita…for example.

More detailed information on NYC and the other cities can be found at: http://americanfitnessindex.org/docs/reports/2012_afi_report_final.pdf

Get Swabbed!

At last weekend's Hope and Heroes Annual Walk, members from the ITPCU team helped collect over 80 cheek swabs and new registrations in the international bone marrow registry!  

Getting registered is a easy, simple, quick yet incredibly impactful way to save a life.  Registration is quick and easy: just make sure you meet registration criteria and the eligibility requirements (http://marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx?promo_code=DNA&src=CTAJoin), and request for a kit to be sent to you.  And swab away!

Steps to Swabbing:

1.  Rinse your mouth out with a small amount of water

2.  Take one swab and rub the inside of one cheek with circular motions for about 10 seconds.  Try not to touch anything else with the swab.  When done, place the swab cotton-tip side down into the envelope.

3.  Repeat with the second swab on the other side of the cheek.

 4.  Mail the swabs in and you're done!

Note:  While bone marrow donation is designed to be simple and easy, being registered is a serious commitment.  It is incredibly important that you understand the two procedures for bone marrow donation (http://marrow.org/Registry_Members/Donation/Steps_of_Donation.aspx#step2)  and are willing to donate to any patient in need.  It is often heartbreaking for families to learn about a bone marrow match only to have the donor back out later. You can get more information here: http://marrow.org/Join/Your_Commitment.aspx