HEALTH BULLETINS BETTERSAFE WELCOA’S ONLINE BULLETIN FOR YOUR FAMILY’S SAFETY Burn Awareness Week A HOT TOPIC TO TALK ABOUT Things are heating up and it’s not just because Valentine’s Day is around the corner. National Burn Awareness Week is February 7-13 and now is a great time to learn about common types of burns and how to prevent them. Talk with your doctor if you have HOW BURNS ARE CLASSIFIED & any concerns about your health. COMMON CAUSES When watching medical dramas, oftentimes you will hear the doctors talk about the degrees of a burn, but not always what caused it. It’s important to discuss both COMMON TYPES OF BURNS when you are talking about burn awareness. » Friction Burns: When a hard object rubs off some of your skin. This is both a scrape and a heat burn. Burns are classified in four degree categories: » Damage caused to skin by freezing » 1st Degree: Damage to the outer layer of skin. The Cold Burns: site is red, painful, dry, and with no blisters. it or coming in direct contact with something very cold for a long period of time. Also called frostbite. » Damage to the outer layer and part of 2nd Degree: » the lower layer of skin. The site is red, blistered, may Thermal Burns: Touching a very hot object raises be swollen, and painful. the temperature of your skin to the point the cells start to die. » Damage to the outer layer, lower 3rd Degree: » layer, and may go into the inner most layer of skin. Radiation Burns: A sunburn is actually a type of The site may look white, black, leathery, or charred radiation burn. X-rays or radiation therapy can also with widespread thickness. cause these. » Damage caused when strong » 4th Degree: Requires immediate medical care. Chemical Burns: Damage to both layers of the skin and underlying acids, solvents, or detergents touch your skin. tissue as well as deeper tissue, possibly involving » Electrical Burns: If you come into contact with muscle and bone. Thee is likely no feeling in the an electrical current, it is classified as an electrical area due to damage to nerve endings. burn. 1 of 2 HEALTH BULLETINS BURN PREVENTION TIPS: OUTSIDE OF THE HOME » Hot surfaces are not just in your kitchen, they are outdoors too. As the old saying goes, “it’s hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk” it’s too hot for your toes too! Make sure to protect your feet and your pet’s paws on hot sidewalks and asphalt. » Stand at least 3 feet away from hot outdoor objects such as grills and fire pits. Keep the area clear of trip hazards and limit alcohol consumption around these objects. » As the temperatures start to drop in your area, dress in several layers of loose warm clothing and cover any exposed skin with hats, boots, gloves, face coverings, etc. to avoid frostbite. Do not ignore shivering. That is the first sign the body is losing heat. Go indoors. BURN PREVENTION TIPS: INSIDE THE HOME » Unplug electronic devices when they are not in use. » Have a kid-free zone at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or beverages are prepared or carried. » Gas fireplace glass doors can reach excessive temperatures (1,300ºF / 704ºC). Serious burn injuries from the hot glass can happen in less than one second. Use safety gates and install screen barriers to keep your home safe. REFERENCES http://ameriburn.org/prevention/burn-awareness-week/ https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/types-degrees-burns#1 2 of 2 HEALTH BULLETINS Go Red For Women Day FEBRUARY 5, 2021 By the time you finish reading this article, 3-4 women will have died from cardiovascular disease. That is one every 60 seconds. It is the #1 killer of women. To help empower and educate women to take charge of their heart health, in 2004 the American Heart Association created the Go Red for Women® campaign. The goal was to save more lives through awareness and improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent. Talk with your doctor if you have KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR 3. Shortness of breath with or any concerns about without chest discomfort. your health. Though heart attacks and strokes are life-or-death emergencies and every second counts, many women 4. Breaking out in a cold sweat, are likely to ignore or dismiss the signs and symptoms. nausea, or lightheadedness. If you or someone you are with are showing any of the following symptoms, call 911 immediately. Stroke Signs and Symptoms HERE IS WHAT TO LOOK FOR PER THE Men and women share some common stroke symptoms AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION including: Heart Attack Signs and Symptoms 1. Numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body. 1. Discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. It is common for women to 2. Trouble speaking or understanding speech. minimize or blame these symptoms on a different cause. 3. Vision problems in one or both eyes. 2. Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain 4. Loss of balance/coordination or trouble walking. in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back. 5. Severe headache with no known cause. 1 of 2 HEALTH BULLETINS Women may also experience more subtle warning signs including: 1. General weakness or fatigue 2. Confusion, disorientation, or memory problems. 3. Nausea or vomiting GETTING INVOLVED Raising awareness about cardiovascular disease doesn’t have to put stress on your time or budget. There are several different ways you can help yourself and others this month to get up, get moving, and get into action. “The life you save could be the life of someone you can’t bear to live without. It might even be your own.” American Heart Association Shop Go Red For Women (https://www.shopheart. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES org/go-red-for-women-collection?affiliate_id=111193 &prodgroup=5547&fname=Go+Red): The purchase of every official Go Red for Women® product goes to How To Prevent Heart Disease After Menopause support the campaign and its fight to end heart disease https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart- and strokes in women. disease-in-women/preventing-cardiovascular-disease/ how-to-prevent-heart-disease-after-menopause Social Media: Take a photo of yourself in red on February 5 and tag the Go Red for Women® campaign. Real Women: Sharing Stories Of Survival Encourage others to share and like your photo plus take https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart- one of their own. Have your office wear red to support disease-in-women/real-women and share it on the company’s social media sites. Andia Winslow: Kitchen Workout Make Your Workplace Healthier: Walk with https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/healthy-living/go- coworkers on breaks or try walking meetings. Whether red-get-fit/andia-winslow-kitchen-workout considering snacks or meals for work, choose healthy foods. Get plenty of activity during the day by standing Sleep, Women and Heart Disease up, stretching, or doing a quick 15-minute workout or https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/healthy-living/go- yoga session. red-get-fit/sleep-women-and-heart-disease Volunteer: Did you know there are volunteer opportunities starting at age 13? You can be an advocate for change. Host a fundraising event, participate in life- saving research, plus support heart patients and their caregivers. To learn more about these opportunities visit: SOURCES: https://www.heart.org/en/volunteer/opportunities https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/signs-and-symptoms-in-women 2 of 2 HEALTH BULLETINS Organ & Tissue Donation 3 WAYS YOU CAN SAVE LIVES Since 1988, there have been 750,000 transplants performed and when surveyed, 95% of Americans are in favor of being a donor. But only 58% are actually registered. How can you help bridge the gap? Let’s take a look at the facts: » While you are reading this, another person has been added to the national transplant list Talk with your » By the end of today, 22 people will have died while doctor if you have waiting for a transplant. any concerns about your health. » Approximately 120,000 men, women, and children are on the transplant waiting list. That is more than the largest football stadium in the US can hold. To help them understand the process, here is a brief These can seem like overwhelming numbers. You may overview of what will happen according to the Organ be asking yourself, will my donation really make a Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN): Once a difference? person dies, the search for a matching recipient begins. The surgical team removes the organs, cornea, skin, and The answer is yes. By registering to be a donor, your bone as authorized and the incisions are closed. This organs can save up to 8 lives, your corneas can restore eliminates the common fear that you will not be able to sight to 2 people, and your tissue donation can be given have an open-casket funeral. to up to 75 people. That is 85 families impacted by one decision. The distance between the organ donor and the recipient plays a major factor on the donation process along with #1: REGISTER TO BE AN ORGAN & TISSUE blood type and the size of the organs. The heart and DONOR lungs can only survive outside of the body for 4-6 hours and a liver can survive 8-12.