ESG republic would like to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time with family and friends.

Labels: Employees, Employers

PROSTATE CANCER is the second most common cancer in American men. Fortunately, a healthy diet and regular exercise can help you decrease your risk of developing it. And early detection can be valuable in treating it successfully.

What is prostate cancer?

The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that surrounds a man’s urethra. It produces one of the fluids that make up semen. When the prostate gland becomes cancerous, it grows abnormally and can cause problems with urination. Prostate cancer usually develops so slowly that most men don’t have any symptoms for a long time, which is why getting screened as your doctor recommends is so important.

What are the symptoms?

Any trouble with urination can be a sign of either an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer. Contact your doctor if you:

• Feel pain in your stomach, pelvis, lower back, or hip.
• Have painful urination or a burning sensation when you urinate.
• Are unable to urinate
• Notice changes in your urination, such as trouble starting to urinate, a weakened stream, or the feeling that you can’t empty your bladder entirely.
• Need to urinate more often or to wake up to urinate at night.
• Have blood in your urine.

What screening tests are available?

The following two tests for prostate cancer are often used together to improve accuracy:

For a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, come of your blood will be drawn to see if you have a high level of PSA, which may indicate an enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, or a prostate infection.

For a digital rectal exam, your doctor will manually check your prostate.

The PSA test and digital rectal exam can help detect many prostate cancers early, and abnormal results don’t always mean cancer is present. If your results are abnormal in either exam, your doctor may take a sample of your prostate tissue for testing in a lab. Talk to your doctor about these tests and when you should start getting screened.

What can increase your risk of prostate cancer?

• Age – This is the biggest factor. Prostate cancer is quite common in men over 65 and over, and men 50 and over have a higher risk.
• Diet – Eating red meat and foods high in fat can put you at a higher risk.
• Genetics – Men of African descent are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
• Family history – Your risk is higher if your brothers or father has had the disease.

How can you help prevent prostate cancer?

Improve your diet. You don’t have to make huge changes all at once. Building in small, manageable changes can make a big difference. Cut down on red meat and get some of your protein from fish and soybeans. Increase the amount of fresh vegetables you eat, and try to eat many different kinds. Tomatoes in particular seem to have cancer-fighting properties, whether you eat them fresh or in a sauce. Snacking on a handful of walnuts a day will add fiber and beneficial oils to your diet.

Get active. A study has shown that men over 65 who exercise at least three hours a week can reduce their risk of dying from prostate cancer by nearly 70%. Activities like running, biking, and swimming can help lower your chances of being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer or dying from the disease.

Labels: Health

This is a great article about the power of Tweeting with Twitter to inform employees about health care plans.

Tweeting Health Benefits ... in 140 Characters or Fewer | workforce.com

Labels: Benefits, Employees, Employers

If you smoke, quitting is the single best step you can take to improve your health. You’ll significantly lower your risk for a long list of deadly diseases, including lung cancer, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

It’s not easy to quit, but the good news is that there is a lot of help available. And the more support you have, the better your chances of success. Check out the suggestions below and the resources listed at the end of the article. You may also want to talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement medication.

Tips to help you quit:

• Keep a picture of your loved ones handy for extra incentive, to remind yourself that you’re not just quitting for your own sake.
• Avoid sugary or spicy foods – for many smokers, these trigger the urge for a cigarette.
• Eat four or five small meals during the day instead of one or two big ones. This will help keep your blood sugar and energy levels steady, and lessen your need to smoke.
• Steer clear of alcohol. A few drinks can seriously weaken your resolve to quit.
• If you feel like you absolutely have to have a cigarette, make yourself wait 10 minutes. Often, once you get past the 10 minutes, you’ll find that the need to smoke has waned.
• If you’re used to having a cigarette in your hand, hold onto something else, like a squeeze ball, a coin, or a pencil.
• If you miss the feeling of a cigarette in your mouth, try toothpicks, cinnamon sticks, straws, or sugarless gum or lollipops instead.
• Keep a supply of edible cigarette substitutes on hand, so you’ll have something to chew on when a cigarette craving strikes. Carrots, apples, oranges, and celery sticks are some healthy, low-calorie choices.
• Avoid temptation and spend your free time in places where smoking is banned, particularly when you’ve just quit. Museums, libraries, malls, theaters, restaurants, and churches are all good options.
• Instead of a cigarette break, take a short exercise break. Walk around the block (avoiding places where smokers gather) or up a few flights of stairs, do some stretches or yoga poses, or knock off a few quick situps or pushups.
• When you’re feeling antsy and need a little moral support, talk to an understanding coworker, or call a friend, family member, or stop-smoking telephone hotline.
• Prepare yourself by thinking of the ways you may rationalize having a cigarette. Then you’ll be ready to resist when that little voice in your head says “One won’t hurt” or “Today is too stressful, I’ll quit tomorrow.”
• Every day, set aside the money you would have spent on cigarettes. Save it for a major goal, or use a little as a weekly treat for not smoking. Quitting is tough – you’ve earned a reward.
• Stay active. Whether you’re walking the dog, learning tai chi, or cleaning your closets, it will help you keep your mind off smoking and burn off the pent-up energy you’re likely to have when quitting.
• When you wake up each morning, take a moment to promise yourself that you won’t smoke that day. Handle the effort one day at a time.
• If you DO slip and have a cigarette, don’t lose faith and give up altogether. Try to figure out why you had a setback, so you don’t repeat it. Then remind yourself of all the good reasons for quitting, and start again right away.

Congratulations on taking a giant step toward living a longer, healthier life. We know quitting can be really hard, and we’re there to support you whenever you need help.

Online and telephonic resources:

The California Smokers' Helpline (1-800-NO-BUTTS) provides free professional and confidential telephone counseling for anyone living in California, whether you are currently addicted to tobacco, have already quit or want information for a friend or relative.

Join the Great American Smokeout today.

Resources to help you quit smoking, from the National Cancer Institute.

Get free educational materials and coaching to help you quit.

Labels: Health

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers who tell workers to stay home when they are sick will have to give them paid time off for up to five days under new federal legislation proposed on Tuesday.

The emergency law would cover pandemic H1N1 flu or any other infectious disease, said California Representative George Miller, a Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and who introduced the bill.

"Sick workers advised to stay home by their employers shouldn't have to choose between their livelihood, and their co-workers' or customers' health," Miller said.

"This will not only protect employees, but it will save employers money by ensuring that sick employees don't spread infection to co-workers and customers, and will relieve the financial burden on our health system swamped by those suffering from H1N1."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises employers to encourage sick workers to stay home so they do not spread H1N1. "But workers have been reporting that many of them are either afraid or cannot afford to take time off," Miller told reporters in a telephone briefing.

Paid sick leave is not required by U.S. laws.

Miller said the committee would hold a hearing the week of November 16 and he would press to have a full vote as soon as possible.

Miller said at least 50 million American workers are not paid for time taken off sick, "many in lower-wage jobs that have direct contact with the public such as the food-service and hospitality industry, schools and health care fields."

MORE VACCINE READY

In a regular briefing, CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said 31.8 million doses of flu vaccine have now become available -- still far short of the minimum of 80 million to 100 million that had been projected for the first week of November.

This number includes vaccine already administered. Frieden said CDC hoped 10 million new doses will have been made available by the end of the week.

He said the pandemic may be having an unexpected side-effect -- increasing demand for the seasonal influenza vaccine. "We think this year will be the highest ever uptake on seasonal flu vaccine," Frieden said.

"We anticipate there being around 114 million doses of seasonal flu vaccine available through the market by the end of the year. It may be there is even greater demand than that by the end of the season."

This includes healthcare workers, who are often reluctant to be vaccinated. In recent years, only around 38 to 40 percent of healthcare workers get flu vaccines, but that percentage may be higher this year, Frieden said.

As with the vaccine against H1N1 swine flu, distribution is slow and patchy for seasonal flu vaccine. "We continue to hear that people are unable to get the vaccine," Frieden said.

The United States buys both seasonal and H1N1 vaccine from five makers -- GlaxoSmithKline Plc, AstraZeneca Plc's MedImmune unit, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis and CSL Limited.

Some members of Congress and media commentators complained that detainees at Guantanamo Bay -- the U.S. base in Cuba -- would receive H1N1 vaccines when Americans were still struggling to find them.

But White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied this on Tuesday. "There is no vaccine in Guantanamo and there's no vaccine on the way to Guantanamo," he told reporters.

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

Read Reuters Article Here

Labels: Employees, Employers, Health, law, Politics

Reporting from Los Angeles and Sacramento - Starting Sunday, cash-strapped California will dig deeper into the pocketbooks of wage earners -- holding back 10% more than it already does in state income taxes just as the biggest shopping season of the year kicks into gear.

Technically, it's not a tax increase, even though it may feel like one when your next paycheck arrives. As part of a bundle of budget patches adopted in the summer, the state is taking more money now in withholding, even though workers' annual tax bills won't change.

Continue reading story @ Los Angeles Times - http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-state-tax31-2009oct31,0,2028140.story

Labels: California, Employees, Employers