News & Notes

Group forms to addresscrisis in local health care

The “2004 Ohio Family Health Survey” indicates that Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties had uninsured rates for adults 18 years old and over of 18 percent, 15.7 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively. Indicators suggest uninsured rates in these counties will continue to increase, causing a significant impact on the local health care system. In an effort to improve access to quality, affordable health care in the local community, Forum Health, Humility of Mary Health Partners, the Ohio North East Health System, and the Youngstown State University Center for Urban and Regional Studies have come together to form the Mahoning Valley Access to Care Network. The group will host an Access to Care Community Breakfast and Summit from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 5. The event will occur at Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center in the Chestnut Room. Goals for the event are to raise awareness, as well as identify potential solutions to the local health crisis. U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-17), Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams and Warren Mayor Michael O’Brien, as well as other community leaders, are scheduled to attend. For more information on this initiative, call the Humility of Mary Health Partners Public Relations Department at 330-480-3443.

Former Browns, OSU
ballplayer to sign book

The Friends of Austintown Library will host a book signing with author Dick Schafrath, former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player, at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 in the Austintown branch library meeting room. Schafrath’s autobiography, “Heart of a Mule: The Dick Schafrath Stories,” tells of his days playing football under coaches Woody Hayes and Paul Brown, his four terms in the Ohio senate and his years growing up on an Ohio farm. The book also describes how Schafrath earned his longtime nickname, “The Mule,” through such stories as the time he accepted and won a bet to run 60 miles nonstop between Cleveland and Wooster, Ohio. The meeting is free and open to the public. Books will be available to purchase.

University Hospitals,
Red Cross blood drive

University Hospitals and the Northern Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross are collaborating in a blood drive that honor the heroes of September 11. The “11 Drives for September 11th” blood drive event will take from now through Sept. 12 at various sites throughout Northeastern Ohio. (For more information about the event, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit RedCrossDonor.org.) All who come to donate at these special drives will receive a book light and a 20 percent off coupon for Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Donors are encouraged to call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment for these drives or visit GiveLife.org online and enter the sponsor code “UH” to schedule online. Donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health and present a valid state-issued photo ID and list of medications upon donation. 

Compiled from local reports.

From the Harvard Health Letter

Although aging puts people at greater risk for serious eye disease and other eye problems, loss of sight need not accompany growing older. Practical, preventive measures can help protect against devastating impairment. An estimated 40 to 50 percent of all blindness can be avoided or treated, mainly through regular visits to a vision specialist.

Regular eye exams are the cornerstone of visual health as people age. Individuals who have a family history of eye disease or other risk factors should have exams more frequently. Don’t wait until your vision deteriorates to have an eye exam. One eye can often compensate for the other while an eye condition progresses. Frequently, only an exam can detect eye disease in its earliest stages.

You can take other steps on your own. First, if you smoke, stop. Smoking increases the risk of several eye disorders, including age-related macular degeneration. Next, examine your diet. Maintaining a nutritious diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables and minimal saturated fats and hydrogenated oils, promotes sound health and may boost your resistance to eye disease. Wearing sunglasses and hats is important for people of any age. Taking the time to learn about the aging eye and recognizing risks and symptoms can alert you to the warning signs of vision problems.

Although eyestrain, spending many hours in front of a television or computer screen, or working in poor light do not cause harmful medical conditions, they can tire the eyes and, ultimately, their owner. The eyes are priceless and deserve to be treated with care and respect – and that is as true for the adult of 80 as it is for the teen-ager of 18.

5 common eye myths dispelled

Myth: Doing eye exercises will delay the need for glasses.
Fact: Eye exercises will not improve or preserve vision or reduce the need for glasses. Your vision depends on many factors, including the shape of your eye and the health of the eye tissues, none of which can be significantly altered with eye exercises.

Myth: Reading in dim light will worsen your vision.
Fact: Although dim lighting will not adversely affect your eyesight, it will tire your eyes out more quickly. The best way to position a reading light is to have it shine directly onto the page, not over your shoulder. A desk lamp with an opaque shade pointing directly at the reading material is the best possible arrangement. A light that shines over your shoulder will cause a glare, making it more difficult to see the reading material.

Myth: Carrots are good for the eyes.
Fact: There is some truth in this one. Carrots, which contain vitamin A, are one of several vegetables that are good for the eyes. However, fresh fruits and dark green leafy vegetables, which contain more antioxidant vitamins such as C and E, are even better. Antioxidant vitamins may help protect the eyes against cataract and age-related macular degeneration. However, eating any vegetables or supplements containing these vitamins or substances will not prevent or correct basic vision problems such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Myth: It’s best not to wear glasses all the time. Taking a break from glasses or contact lenses allows your eyes to rest.
Fact: If you need glasses for distance or reading, use them. Attempting to read without reading glasses will simply strain your eyes and tire them out. Using your glasses won’t worsen your vision or lead to any eye disease.

Myth: Staring at a computer screen all day is bad for the eyes.
Fact: Although using a computer will not harm your eyes, staring at a computer screen all day will contribute to eyestrain or tired eyes. Adjust lighting so that it does not create a glare or harsh reflection on the screen. In addition, when you’re working on a computer or doing other close work such as reading or needlepoint, it’s a good idea to rest your eyes briefly every hour or so to lessen eye fatigue. Finally, people who stare at a computer screen for long periods tend not to blink as often as usual, which can cause the eyes to feel dry and uncomfortable. Make a conscious effort to blink regularly so that the eyes stay well lubricated and do not dry out.

Reprinted from “The Aging Eye: Preventing and Treating Eye Disease– a Special Health Report” from Harvard Medical School, © 2008 by Harvard University. All rights reserved.

Cooking vegetables
in microwave has benefits

The microwave oven is standard issue in today’s kitchen, from the home, to the workplace, to the dorm room. Their speed and convenience feel like nearly a necessity for today’s busy lifestyles. However, does this method of cooking and heating meals and snacks compromise the nutritional value of foods we eat?

Microwave ovens use waves of oscillating electromagnetic energy to heat food. These waves are similar to radio waves but move back and forth at a much faster rate. They are also remarkably selective, primarily affecting polar molecules – molecules with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end. Water is a polar molecule, so a microwave oven cooks by energizing (heating) water molecules, and the water energizes its molecular neighbors. The reason glass, ceramics, and many types of plastic don’t get hot in a microwave oven is because they’re made up of non-polar molecules.
In addition to being more selective, microwave-oven energy is also more penetrating than heat that emanates from an oven or stovetop. It immediately reaches molecules about an inch or so below the surface. In contrast, regular cooking heat goes through food rather slowly, moving from the outside in.

Some nutrients break down when they’re exposed to heat, whether that heat comes from a microwave or a regular oven. Vitamin C is perhaps the clearest example. Consequently, cooking with a microwave probably does a better job of preserving the nutrient content of foods because the cooking times are shorter.

Boiled, steamed or fried – Cooking vegetables in water causes some of the nutrients to leach out into that same water. For example, boiled broccoli loses glucosinolate, the compound that may be responsible for its cancer-fighting properties. However, you can incorporate the nutrient-rich water from boiled vegetables into sauces or soups. Steaming vegetables may help retain more nutrients. Steamed broccoli holds on to more glucosinolate than boiled or fried broccoli.

No matter how you slice it, vegetables are good for you nearly any way you prepare them, and most of us don’t eat enough.

Here are some things to keep in mind when using the microwave:

• Most takeout containers, water bottles, and plastic tubs made to hold margarine, yogurt, whipped topping, and foods such as cream cheese and mayonnaise are not microwave-safe.

• Microwavable takeout dinner trays are formulated for one-time use only and will say so on the package.

• A recycle symbol does not mean a container is safe to use or reuse in the microwave oven. Only a microwave-safe icon or wording to that effect does.

• Don’t allow plastic wrap to touch food during microwaving because it may melt. Wax paper, kitchen parchment paper, or white paper towels are alternatives.

• If you’re concerned about plastic wraps or containers in the microwave, transfer food to glass or ceramic containers labeled for microwave oven use.

For more information on food and your health, order our Special Health Report, Healthy Eating: A guide to the new nutrition, at www.health.harvard.edu.HE.