A double dose of gratitude for National Dentist's & National Doctor's Days

It is nice to every now and then take time out of our chronic busyness and give a big thank you to some men and women in the healthcare profession who really deserve it. March brings us both National Dentist’s Day (3/6) and National Doctor’s Day (3/30), so join us this month in showing our appreciation!

Perhaps not high on anyone’s list of favorite things, regular visits to the dentist’s office are necessary to insure healthy teeth and gums and to keep our smiles sparkling. And for anyone who’s ever experienced an abscess tooth or oral pain, the dentist comes as a godsend. Dentists help us look our best and feel the best about ourselves. We’re proud here at Scrubin to take chance to say thanks!

So, outside of a hearty “job well done” and a kind word, what is the best way to show gratitude to all the dentists out there? The best way to appreciate their work is to honor it, and that means making sure to practice good habits for oral health care. That means what we all think it means: thorough brushing every day (more than once a day is preferable), flossing and regular visits to the dentist. Laying off some of those other, not so healthy habits would be nice too (ditch the tobacco, and do any of us really need ANOTHER cup of coffee?). On the treatment side, if you’ve had any dental discomfort — bleeding gums, or undue sensitivity to hot or cold — delay no longer in getting it checked out.

And rather than restricting appreciation to just your own dentist, post on social media to say thank you to all the dental professionals out there, and contribute a little to everyone’s mindfulness about good oral health. Get those hashtags ready!

And now to the physicians. The doctor is a figure associated with some foreboding, some frustration, probably lots of emotions at once. None of us perhaps like seeing them per se, even if they are the kindest person we know. But we all can be thankful and grateful that they are there when we need them. Our physicians are literally our go-to people for our healthcare needs, from primary care to specialized treatments, from routine checkups to complicated surgeries and innovative treatment options. March 30^th is National Doctor’s Day, an excellent opportunity to take one day out of the year and show our doctors how much we appreciate them outside of some health scare.

There are numerous ways to say thank you, from a nice card to a thoughtful e-mail. Again though, the best way to honor their contributions is to spread the word about good health habits. Practice what you preach: if you’ve been procrastinating, go ahead and schedule that physical!

Also, there are some materials and items, from coffee mugs to stickers to stamps that put the word out there about National Doctor’s Day. Browse here!

To our dentists and doctors, thank you for your service and here’s to many more years of helping all of us with our health!

National Nutrition Month Offers the Opportunity for a Healthy-Diet Reset

March brings warmer weather, Daylight Savings Time (Sunday, March 13^th, in case you were wondering), and National Nutrition Month. In each case, it hasn’t come a moment too soon!

Particularly National Nutrition Month. Let’s face the facts: the holidays are way back in the rear-view mirror, and the grace period on eating whatever we want is up. Spring is in the air, and with that, it’s a good time to take stock of our cabinets and pantries and see what steps are needed to make 2016 a healthy and nutritious year.

Scrubin is really getting behind National Nutrition Month this year, because we see it as a great time to hit “reset” and get back into some healthy habits. There are many ways to get involved, choices ranging from education for better dietary choices for yourself to events and promotions to help make March a fresh start for nutritional awareness nationwide.

Most of us know that our diets are closely tied with our well-being, physically and mentally. Eating foods rich in vitamins, high in protein, low in saturated fats and sugars, not only is a long-term practice to insure against many health issues — heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers — but we all just feel better if we’re providing ourselves with the proper fuel. We reap the benefits in terms of more energy, more stamina, improved focus and overall better mood.

Sure, we all crave the cookies and the carbohydrates, and some splurging is natural. But the fact is that the human body and human brain works optimally when they are well fed with the important staples: Vitamins A – C, antioxidants, proteins, Omega-3’s. We are doing ourselves a big favor when we make proper dietary choices.

And we also need to keep in mind just how important good nutritional choices are for kids. If you don’t learn to eat well when you’re young, it’s much harder to develop those habits as an adult. Unfortunately, too many kids are fed non-nutritious lunches at school cafeterias, and way too many rely on a diet of fast food and pizza. Vegetables and fruit too rarely make an appearance during meal times. We live in an era of heightened awareness about these issues, but we also live in a time of record-high childhood obesity and early-stage diabetes. This stuff is important. Check out how to help and what we all can do. (There’s even Kids Eat Right Month, every August.)

And, it’s not just what we eat. This year National Nutrition Month is putting emphasis on how and when we eat. The body doesn’t like binge-eating, at least not for optimal performance. A proper diet consists of a healthy breakfast, a good lunch high in important nutrients and a sensible dinner. Avoid second helpings, particularly at night when too much food can interfere with a night’s rest (during sleep is when the metabolism slows down and cannot process larger quantities of food).

There is much more, from educational materials on eating disorders, to the importance of clean drinking water. Find out more and let’s all make this National Nutrition Month a time when we “Savor the flavor of eating right!”

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!