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4 - The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, November 19, 2008
HEALTH NEWS AND FEATURES
Sleep as part of a Healthy Lifestyle
American Cancer Society Marks
33rd Great American Smokeout
by Carolyn Guilford, CNC
Sleep is absolutely one
of the most essential habits
of good health. You really
can’t be in the best possible
health unless you are sleep
ing well, and getting enough
sleep. We all have too much
to do, but taking time to
recharge ourselves by getting
a good night's sleep can
make all the difference in
how productive we are the
next day, and in preserving
our health long-term.
Sleeping five hours or
less each night has been
shown over time to increase
ones risk of developing dia
betes, according to the jour
nal: Diabetes Care. However
recent research at Columbia
University’s Dept of Health
Sciences shows that Long
term sleep deprivation
increases the risk of a variety
of major illnesses including,
High Blood Pressure,
Diabetes, Cancer, Heart
Disease, Stroke, Depression,
and Obesity.
On the good side, get
ting adequate sleep boosts
the immune system and
fights the ageing process
with hormones we can only
benefit from if we are asleep
by 10 PM, and to optimize
adrenal function.
Carolyn Guilford
Here are ten tips to help
you get the sleep you need
and deserve:
Maintain a regular bed
time and wake time sched
ule, including weekends.
Establish a regular,
relaxing bedtime routine
such as soaking in a hot bath
or hot tub and then reading a
book or listening to soothing
music.
Create an environment
that is dark, quiet, comfort
able and cool, for sleep.
Sleep on a comfortable
mattress and pillows.
Use your bedroom only for
sleep and rest. It is best to
take work materials, comput
ers and televisions out of the
sleeping environment.
Finish eating two to
three hours before your regu
lar bedtime.
Exercise regularly. It is
best to complete your work
out a few hours before bed
time.
Avoid all tobacco products.
Used close to bedtime, they
can lead to poor sleep.
Avoid caffeine in cof
fee, tea, soft drinks, and
chocolate close to bedtime. It
can keep you awake.
Avoid alcohol close to
bedtime. It can lead to dis
rupted sleep later in the night.
We recommend getting
seven to nine hours of sleep
nightly, but there’s no one
formula that’s right for every
body. The best indication is
how rested and renewed you
feel during the day.
Studies show that if
you’re healthy, you’ll proba
bly sleep well. And if you
sleep well, you’re likely to
stay healthy.
Remember, Health is a
Choice. If you have any com
ments or questions about
health issues we’ve covered
in this column, or an issue
you’d like addressed, please
call or write to:
Carolyn Guilford
wwwHealthRestorationl01.com
P.O. Box 2814, Savannah,
GA 31402
912) 236-8987
The Best Time to Quit
Smoking is Now
Thursday, November
20, is the 33rd Great
American Smokeout, and the
American Cancer Society
continues its legacy of pro
viding free resources to help
smokers quit. The Great
American Smokeout was
inaugurated in 1976 to inspire
and encourage smokers to
quit for one day. Now, 44.2
percent of the 45.3 million
Americans who smoke have
attempted to quit for at least
one day in the past year, and
the Great American
Smokeout remains a great
opportunity to encourage
people to commit to making a
long-term plan to quit for
good.
With all the resources
available to help smokers
quit, there has never been a
better time to quit smoking,
and the American Cancer
Society is here to help. If you
smoke, make a plan and set
the Great American
Smokeout, November 20,
2008, as your quit date. By
calling the American Cancer
Society Quitline® at 1-800-
227-2345, people who plan to
quit will be able to speak with
a trained counselor and
receive free, confidential
counseling.
Studies have found that
Quitline can more than dou
ble a person’s chances of suc
cessfully quitting tobacco.
Callers to Quitline can be
connected with smoking ces
sation resources in their com
munities, social support
groups, Internet resources,
and medication assistance
referrals. Since its inception
in 2000, Quitline has provid
ed counseling support to
more than 380,000 smokers.
The American Cancer
Society offers other free
resources - through Quitline
and at
www.cancer.org/GreatAmeri
cans - that can increase a
smoker’s chances of quitting
successfully, including tips
and tools for friends, family,
and coworkers of potential
quitters to help them be aware
and supportive of the struggle
to quit smoking. Studies
show the importance of social
support in quitting smoking,
as people are most likely to
quit smoking when their
friends, family, and cowork
ers decide to quit smoking.
Popular online social net
works such as Facebook and
MySpace are also becoming
support channels for people
who want to quit, and
American Cancer Society
Smokeout-related download
able desktop applications are
available on these networks
to help people quit or join the
fight against tobacco.
“A recent study in the
New England Journal of
Medicine found that social
networks are helpful in quit
ting smoking,” said
[spokesperson], “Friends and
family can help the most by
being aware and supportive
of the struggle to quit, and the
American Cancer Society has
resources to help them show
support for their loved one
who is trying to quit.”
Tobacco use remains the
single largest preventable
cause of disease and prema
ture death in the United
States. Each year, smoking
accounts for an estimated
438,000 premature deaths,
including 38,000 deaths
among nonsmokers as a
result of secondhand smoke.
Half of all Americans who
continue to smoke will die
from smoking-related dis
eases.
Health Department to Deliver Flu Shots
Chatham County
Health Department will be
administering Flu Shots at
the Alzheimer's Association
Office on Thursday,
December 4th, 10 a.m.-12
p.m., at the Alzheimer's
Association, 201 Television
Cr„ Savannah, GA 31406
Medicaid and Medicare
Part B will cover the cost of
the shot. Please bring your
Medicare or Medicaid cards
with you. All others the cost
is $25.00 (Private Insurance
will NOT be accepted) Cash
or Check only.
Refreshments will be
provided by United Hospice.
Call 920-2231 by
Tuesday, December 2, to
reserve your shot today!
Even if you are healthy,
if you live with or care for
people at high risk for severe
complications for influenza,
you should get vaccinated.
Groups at high risk include
adults age 65 and older,
infants, pregnant women,
THE SAVANNAH TRIBUNE
1805 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Savannah, Georgia 31401
Ph. (912) 233-6128 FAX (912) 233-6140
www.savannahtribune.com
Shirley B. James
Publisher and Editor
Tanya Milton
Vice President/Advertising Director
tanya@savannahtribune.com
Sharon P. Smiley
Managing Editor
sharon@savannahtribune.com
Andre’ Allen
Graphic Designer
A. Camille James Rachelle J. Gregory
Education Editor Staff Writer
Zyon D. Smiley
Staff Writer
Frederick D.Gregory
Staff Writer
Walter Moore
Sports Writer
Published weekly by The Savannah Tribune, Inc.
Deadlines for news releases and advertisements:
Fridays 12:00 noon
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All rights are reserved. No part of this work may be repro
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tronic or mechanical including photography, without writ
ten permission of the publisher.
kids and adults with chronic
medical conditions like asth
ma, diabetes or heart disease
Health
Matters
Alzheimer's Association Holiday
Workshop and Candlelight Vigil
Please join us for this
event designed to provide tips
for coping with caregiver
stress, helpful hints for the
holidays, and holiday gift
ideas. We will follow this
workshop with our annual
Candlelight Vigil meant to
encourage, honor and remem
ber those touched by
Alzheimer's disease and other
dementias. If you or a loved
one's life has been changed by
dementia, please join us.
Light refreshments will be
served after the program.
This is a 1.5 hour event. Join
us on Tuesday, Dec. 9,2008 at
6:00pm. This year we will
meet in the White Bluff
United Methodist Church
Sanctuary located at 11911
White Bluff Road, Savannah,
GA.
Please try to RSVP, by
calling 912-920-2231. This is
a free event.
Open Enrollment Period for the Medicare
Part D Prescription Drug Coverage Begins
More Than 174,000 Georgia
seniors are eligible for cover
age, but not enrolled. New
research shows 9 in 10 sen
iors in Medicare Part D pro
gram are satisfied with cover
age
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The annual open enrollment
period for the Medicare Part
D prescription drug program
begins on November 15,
2008, and recent estimates
indicate that more than
174,000 of Georgia seniors
are eligible for the program,
but remain un-enrolled.
Nationwide, as many as 6.6
million, or 15 percent of eli
gible seniors are without pre
scription drug coverage.
Extending November
15 - December 31, 2008, the
enrollment period provides
an opportunity for those
Georgia Medicare beneficiar
ies and others across the
country who have not yet
taken advantage of the pro
gram to do so. It also pro
vides a timely opportunity for
those who are enrolled to re
evaluate their current plan
and make a change, if appro
priate.
New public opinion
research released by
Medicare Today shows that
just two in 10 enrollees are
‘likely’ or ‘somewhat likely’
to shop around and compare
Medicare plans this year.
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More than half (56 percent) of
those enrolled say they are
‘not at all likely’ to do so.
Conducted by KRC Research
in Washington, DC, the sur
vey also finds that 9 in 10 sen
iors are ‘satisfied’ with their
Medicare prescription drag
coverage, with 63 percent
reporting that they are ‘very
satisfied.’
“Even individuals who
have been pleased with their
coverage so far should take
advantage of this time to
review and evaluate their cur
rent plan,” said Mary Grealy,
president of the Healthcare
Leadership Council, which is
coordinating Medicare
Today’s efforts. “Plans and
costs change, as do the pre
scription needs of seniors as
they age. What may have
been the best plan for some
one a year ago, may no longer
be the option that provides the
best drag coverage at the best
price. We encourage people
to take advantage of the con
sumer choice that is one of the
strengths of this program.”
In Georgia, approxi
mately 1.1 million individuals
are eligible to enroll in the
Part D program, according to
the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services’ (CMS)
Management Information
Integrated Repository (MIIR).
Of that number, approximate
ly 950,000 have prescription
drag coverage - either
through the Medicare Part D
program, an employer or for
mer employer or other source.
That leaves more than
See Medicare, page 16