World Cancer Day highlights the ongoing battle against this elusive foe

Here at Scrubin we regularly highlight many days of the year concerning public health and related issues, days to raise awareness, advocate for preventative treatment, raise funds for research and treatment.

None is bigger than Feb. 4, 2016. This is World Cancer Day — and this is a big deal. There is hardly a life on this planet that hasn’t been or won’t be touched by this most dreaded of diseases, in one of its many manifestations. This is the most personal of health issues, and the most global.

An estimated 8.2 million people worldwide die of cancer every year. Imagine if half these lives could be saved. Or 2 million, or 1 million. What a difference it would make for global health and societal impact the world over.

And seemingly lofty goals like these are easily within reach. The focus of World Cancer Day is to raise education and awareness, and to save millions of preventable deaths every year. There really is no larger health issue than this.
That brings us to, what can we do to help? When it comes to awareness of this special day, it’s all about outreach. Spread the word about World Cancer Day, share it on social media, link to the website, download materials and add or link a World Cancer Day event in your local area to the Map of Impact.

http://www.worldcancerday.org/map

There are currently 242 activities across the globe World Cancer Day 2016. So far, they are as diverse and inspirational as the countries who are hosting them:

·      Fundraising events in Baltimore and Calgary
·      The Concert of Hope in Poland
·      The Mass for the 13^th Anniversary of the League Against Cancer in Peru
·      South Africa has Women Against Cancer events
·      Events promoting healthy lifestyles for cancer prevention in China

A global disease demands global actions, and this is what World Cancer Day is all about.

In addition, there are dozens of packets of promotional materials to spread the word about not only World Cancer Day but the constant battle against the disease. These range from logos expressing solidarity with cancer victims, stirring stories from cancer survivor, and online packets detailing healthy lifestyle choices, anti-tobacco campaigns and the urgent need for worldwide cancer screenings, which alone could save millions of lives every year.

In this technological age of ours, when information can be disseminated in the blink of an eye via Facebook and Twitter and social media platforms, there is an amazing opportunity for everyone, everywhere to be as educated as possible concerning steps to prevent and treat cancer of all types. Medical science and research has made great strides but the most immediate impact most of us can make is to educate ourselves and inform our friends, family and associates about how we can take the fight to cancer.

So from all of us here at Scrubin, have a productive and impactful World Cancer Day! Let’s all do our part! It could make all the difference.

#ScrubinandSave Shop Now! www.scrubin.com

American Heart Month offers the chance to take stock of cardiac care

A new year often means a renewed focus on health, and so February is a fitting time for American Heart Month. This year, let’s all take a moment to stop and think about not only heart disease and how to prevent it, but what we’re doing in our own lives to ward off potential cardiac issues. This is a biggie for anyone who has a heart — and that of course means all of!

What is American Heart Month? Glad you asked. This is the time when organizations around the nation, spearheaded by the American Heart Association, raise awareness in the community and in our personal lives to make healthier heart-centered choices. These include

·      concentrated efforts to promote better cardiovascular exercise;
·      better dietary choices;
·      regular checkups; and
·      a push to eliminate tobacco use of all kinds.

These outreach programs are being done in schools, hospitals, gyms, community centers and anywhere else folks gather, so they should be easy to find.

Heart disease still ranks as the No. 1 cause of death in America, so it needs to be combated on all fronts. There are lots of online materials, a downloadable PDF and other resources to help you get involved. Send out your own American Heart Month newsletter. Or link up from your Facebook account. Send tweets throughout the month of February to spread the message.

And, this year, there is a red-letter day to highlight on the calendar. This is National Wear Red Day, an offshoot of Go Red for Women, on Feb. 5. What’s it all about? Glad you asked! National Red Wear Day is devoted to fighting heart disease for women in America. It is important to remember that heart disease or strokes are responsible for one out of every three deaths for American women every year.

This is an urgent issue, deserving our best efforts. Be among one of many you’ll see sporting red this Feb. 5, a visible and colorful way to proclaim solidarity and support.

Of course February has lots more days in it — 29 this year, thanks to Leap Year — to support American Heart Month. Take part in community events, but also dedicate this month to making better, heart-healthy choices for you and your family (20 minutes a day on the treadmill, substituting spice for salt, a brisk walk after dinner). From all of us to all of you, let’s make February 2016 the best American Heart Month yet!

Nursing is like real estate: For the best places, it’s all about location

There are few fields growing in America like healthcare. Projections have it as one of the fastest growing sectors of job growth in the United States over the next 15 years. And of professions in healthcare, registered nurses are near the top in terms of potential and demand. Just how rosy is the outlook? Employment for RNs is expected to expand by 19 percent till 2022.

Higher demand will likely mean higher wages and better benefits. But where will the RN jobs be the most desirable? Let’s take a look around the nation and find the best spots for these lucrative jobs.

Wages: California, unsurprisingly, is in the lead here, as it tends to be in wages for healthcare workers overall, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s the most populous state in the union, so it stands to reason that California has the highest number RNs overall. Other states in the top five are Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska and Massachusetts.

One thing to remember: Alaska, Hawaii, and California are three of the six states in America with the highest cost of living. So that has to be factored into any judgment call on desirability: how much bang is the RN, especially one just out of school, getting for her/his buck?

On the flip side, here are the bottom five states for RN wages: South Dakota, Iowa, West Virginia, Alabama and Arkansas. (But just like above, these states are also among the lowest in cost-of-living figures, so the percentages come close to evening out.)

High wages don’t mean much, however, if there are no jobs to be had. As attractive as the Golden State might seem, it also has among the lowest open nursing jobs. That could be a boon in the future: more people means more healthcare means more need for nurses. But right now, better bets are Missouri, West Virginia, Mississippi, South Dakota and Rhode Island.

Also, more specifically even than a state breakdown, there is the rural/urban question. Here the tilt seems to go to urban areas, generally home to the larger hospitals and clinics. RNs grade out considerably higher as a percentage of the healthcare workforce here. And urban medical facilities tend to pay a higher wage. Again, the drawback is that urban living tends to be costlier.

All in all, a nursing career does not look to be a bad bet, wherever you may be looking. Like any other career though, you’ll want to do your research, then factor in all the elements to find the best opportunity for you. And once you’ve landed that dream nursing job, let us help you get properly outfitted!

National Influenza Vaccination Week: Have You Gotten Your Flu Shot?

Influenza. Sounds kind of exotic, at least until you know better: It’s the flu. Not exotic at all, but something quite common, and a potentially deadly illness we’ve all dealt with either ourselves, or as we’ve cared for someone who’s come down with it.

Even though the flu remains common, it really shouldn’t, because of the widespread availability of a little thing called the flu shot. Most every pharmacy has them on offer, as well as major store chains and even grocery outlets — pretty much anywhere that has pharmacy services. And yet far too many people still refuse to take advantage of the inoculation, come down with the dreaded flu (or influenza), and simultaneously expose those who are vulnerable to a higher likelihood of contracting it as well.

Flu season kicks off during October and is approaching its peak during the holidays, which is the absolute worst time to be flat on your back for a week or two. So this is a fitting time of year to get the word out: Dec. 6-12^th brings us National Influenza Vaccination Week. As healthcare professionals, we have a duty to educate the people around us, so here are some talking points for those cases who don’t think they need a shot, or are afraid of the vaccine because of all the misinformation that’s out there.

The Centers for Disease Control recommendation is that everyone older than six months get a yearly flu vaccination. There are deaths from the flu every year in America; children are especially vulnerable. It’s more than just a bad couple or three days of fever and a sore throat — it can be, and often is, fatal.

Speaking of children, and to repeat: infants under the age of six months, fragile and susceptible to just about anything that comes along, are not eligible for the flu vaccination. They depend upon the rest of to ward it off, thus limiting their exposure.

Now there are criticisms of the flu vaccination, the main one being that it doesn’t always prevent the flu. There is some truth to this. The 2014 flu vaccination was considered not as effective as it could have been. The reason is that there are several strands of influenza, and different strands spring up all the time. The vaccination takes several months to prepare, and the compound is based around strands the CDC early in the year predicts will be most prevalent once flu season rolls around. No batch of the flu vaccination can take care of them all, and there is some educated guessing involved.

But it remains the medical consensus that the flu vaccination makes a huge dent in the population of flu sufferers every year. And a healthier person means a healthier chance for the people around him or her. So if you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet, by all means do so. And if you’re still shopping for that hard-to-buy-for person, a flu shot may not be a conventional stocking stuffer, but a healthy and happy winter season vs. a stretch in bed, or even a few days in the hospital, is a very nice present to receive.

Don't Let Holiday Eating Pack On The Pounds

The very idea of eating healthy around holiday time sounds not only impossible, but also pointless. For many of us, food is one of the great pleasures this time of year — unless you are going to be subsisting on a diet of candied yams, stuffing, and honey-banked hams in the balmy summer months.

We like our holiday treats, we like the big meals, the buttered rolls, the desserts … and then the other desserts. Yes, we know it perhaps isn’t the best stuff for us, but c’mon already, ’tis the season. We’d no sooner do without Thanksgiving leftovers than we would autumn foliage, and Christmas dinner is just as eagerly anticipated as opening gifts.

OK, fair enough. Nonetheless, we also definitely don’t like the feeling of being sluggish and dazed from too much grub, and none of us like the post-holiday hangover that comes crashing in right around Jan. 2: some extra pounds, and pants that if they fit at all, do so rather snugly.  So begins the next season: one of harsh New Year’s resolutions — involving pricey gym memberships, personal trainers, and meals portioned out to the gram. (“Another sliver of kale, anyone?” “No, no, I couldn’t possibly!”)

So feasting at this time of year leads unfortunately to famine tomorrow. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We could all enjoy the holidays, and the foodstuffs that come with them, if we just practiced a modicum of restraint and balance.

Rotate out some of the more caloric-busting dishes with healthier alternatives. Instead of cream-based soups or heavy stews, do a soup that is broth-based, done with vegetable stock. Avoid undue snacking from the chip or nuts dish, and pass on the cheese ball. There will be plenty to eat — no need to gorge on the starters.

At the same time, don’t use the holidays as an excuse to come off your normal eating routine. If you are one to wake up and eat a grapefruit or bowl of bran cereal, continue to do that. You’ll find your appetite is subtly sated when the main event comes around and you are less likely to stuff yourself to the breaking point if you aren’t ravenous when the turkey touches the table.

Also go easy on the alcohol; booze is loaded with empty calories and nothing is so sure to bring on the bloat as a couple too many beers or cocktails.

And finally, don’t just sit there. Get up, take a walk after a meal (or before), introduce some holiday dancing to the festivities. Make those calories work for you, and in the process work them off a little.

Just a few small adjustments can make a world of difference in staving off post-holiday blues for your body. Tailor your holiday festivities accordingly, and it might save you from having to tailor your favorite trousers afterwards.

One more thing: Happy Holidays from all of us at Scrubin Uniforms! We greatly appreciate your business, and look forward to serving you in 2016!

November Is American Diabetes Month — Get Involved

At Scrubin, we are involved with getting the word out about many great causes and organizations. One of the biggest for us is American Diabetes Month.

This is a disease which has been forefront of the public consciousness for some time, and with good reason. Diabetes numbers 30 million Americans among its sufferers, both adults and children. And it is estimated that more than 80 million more are “pre-diabetic” and at heightened risk to develop type 2 diabetes. If the disease is not at epidemic levels, it is not far from it.

Our diets are all too often composed of an excess of sugars, fats, cholesterol and sodium. While public awareness seems to be rising in this regard, it is still a widespread fact that much of our food is packaged and processed, and therefore potent as delivery systems for excesses of sugar. This is to say nothing of our affection for sodas and sugar-laden energy drinks.

Now, while a healthy, informed diet is not enough to stave off diabetes in every case, the simple fact is that eating healthier — limiting sugars, basing meals around protein and essential vitamins and roughage — would slash the percentage of our population who have type 2 diabetes by a tremendous degree. This is a particularly urgent matter in regards to our young people. The rate of growth for the disease in children has burgeoned by more than 33% in the past couple of decades.

Sure, there are several factors at work in this rising figure, but most researchers agree that the majority of the growth is directly tied to the rapidly escalating rates of childhood obesity. Healthy diet, regular exercise: these are the enemies of Type 2 diabetes. Make sure your kid has both!

Another unfortunate fact about our food consumption and diabetes: it is often more expensive and more difficult in the United States to eat healthy. Cheaper foods are typically mass produced, therefore usually have a lower price tag. And these are the very foods prevalent with trans-fats, sodium, high fructose corn syrup, dyes and excess sugars. As such, our more impoverished communities have been particularly hard hit by the growing rate of diabetes in the society. American Diabetes Month has a variety of outreach effortsintended to educate all our communities communities about the very real dangers of the disease.

Think you might be at risk? Your doctor can ease your fears, or get you on a path of treatment if there’s a problem.  He or she will perform a simple glucose test. If diabetes is indicated, then immediate steps can be taken: regular monitoring, insulin treatment, strict diet and life-style changes.

If you rate as pre-diabetic, then you and your health-care professional can design a firm plan to tackle the potential risk before it becomes a difficult reality.

Diabetes in America is on the rise, unfortunately, but we can make November of 2015 the moment when we turned back the tide!

National Epilepsy Awareness Month Has Arrived!

National Epilepsy Awareness Month kicks off with a new campaign by the Epilepsy Foundation, a year long effort to attack the condition on multiple fronts. Education, research, fighting discrimination for people with seizures and highlighting stories of survivors of epilepsy.

The campaign is called #DareTo, and it’s going to be pretty easy to spot. Public service announcements will feature spokespeople and celebrities with epilepsy. There are campaign features showcasing the work of artists who are epileptic.

#DareTo is tailored to reach those afflicted with epilepsy. Regrettably, there is still some stigma attached to people who have seizures: they live in anxiety of when/if a seizure might occur. In addition to the dangerous nature of the condition itself, there is the potential for embarrassment, public humiliation and inopportune timing. Seizures can scare people besides those who are stricken with them.

#DareTo seeks to eliminate that. No one should be ashamed of an illness. Public awareness is key, and there are numerous outreach programs on offer. Learn how those with epilepsy have turned what could be construed as a handicap into the source of great strength and resolve!

For those afflicted with seizures, management is key. There are numerous medical and cognitive treatment options available. Everyone who is epileptic, or has a loved one who is, deserves to avail themselves of all the information at their disposal.

For some medication is the answer. Others have found success with a VNS, vagus nerve simulation, the applying a device that sends electrical pulses to the vagus nerve. Still others find results from a careful diet, good exercise and various techniques designed to minimize stress.

Even if you are not yourself an epilepsy sufferer, there are many ways for you to get involved. The Epilepsy Foundation has an extensive list of volunteer activities, forums, and fundraising opportunities. Check it out and make a difference this November!