How to Remain Healthy During Summer
Officially we are on British Summer time. As of March 27th at 1:00am our clocks moved forward one hour to bring us back to British summer time.
What's so good about summer you might ask?
Sunshine: The sun is incredibly good for us and there are several benefits to getting a daily dose of sunshine. Like anything in life moderation is the key. And making sure you are adequately protected. Vitamin D, perhaps the most important vitamin, comes from the sun. You may hear in the media that sunlight is bad for you and causes skin cancer etc. The truth is that moderate exposure to the sunlight is good for the body. The true danger is putting on chemical filled sunscreens and baking yourself in the sun. If you come out looking like a roast chicken that's not a good thing.
Outdoor Activities: Now is the perfect time to start one of those activities that may have been put on hold during the winter. So whether you want to take up jogging, cycling or go walking, or have kids and want to spend some quality time with them, doing a variety of outdoor pursuits is ideal.
BBQ's: A great social occasion, iconic in the bond between man and grill. BBQ's are a great way to cook food, if you cook it properly. Be warned, you can eat a lot of food without knowing as you keep going back to the grill for just one more chicken drumstick.
Longer Days: after the winter months with short days and long nights we are relieved when summer arrives and we can finish work in the daylight. This is really good for anyone who suffers with SAD or seasonal Affective disorder. Better Weather: In the UK we need to make the most of the weather and we know as an island race we are subject to radical weather changes. So whilst its nice, get outside and get active. There is a long list of things you can do.
Unite Launches Stress at Work Survey
Unite, the country's biggest union, has teamed up with UK mental health charity Mind to examine how mental health is affecting workers.
Unite estimates that 70million working days are lost to absences due to mental health and that this costs British business £8.4billion a year.
For further information or to take part in the survey visit the Unite website at:http://www.unitetheunion.org
Fantastic Soldier Recovery with Help of Teamwork
An American soldier who had an unexploded RPG in his stomach was able to walk to receive his Purple Heart medal just a few months after the incident.
Pte. Moss was serving in Afghanistan when his armoured vehicle was hit by three RPG's. He soon realised one had hit him in his stomach. His colleagues and medical personnel risked their own safety in firstly transporting him and then treating him, enabling him to recover.
http://www.metro.co.uk
New NICE Guidelines on Mental Health Treatment
New NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guidelines suggest GPs should be encouraging their patients to self refer to psychological therapies for mental health problems.
The new guidelines imply a current problem around the identification and treatment of depression and anxiety, in particular. This is mainly due to problems around GPs identifying the issue initially but also that patients are normally treated with psychotropic medication alone rather than being referred to psychological treatments.
Despite limited availability of psychological treatments the new guideline recommends they should be the first stage of treatment as part of a stepped care model accessed by either a GP referral or a self referral.
There are however concerns that this will stretch the already limited resources available, with Dr Chris Manning, a former GP and chief executive of Primary Care Mental Health and Education saying "'The system isn't even coping at the moment. But the solution is to work more at community level, so patients have more options than just NHS providers. We need to be thinking much more broadly about local choice and diversity of services for patients."
Top Tips
Stay hydrated, warmer weather can cause dehydration which will affect your concentration and performance, whether its at work or exercising.
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and salads to ensure you get plenty of vitamins and minerals in your body. When eating salads go easy on the dressings, as these can be loaded with calories and fat. You may think you'rer being good having a salad but if its drowning in dressings then you could be doing more harm than good.
Get outside and get active. Take the dog for a walk, spend time with the kids playing games such as catch or British bulldogs. Start a new hobby such as cycling.
If you are going to BBQ, control your portion sizes and try to leave out the skin as this is the fattiest part of the meat.
If you're going in the sun, be careful not to overdo it and avoid getting burnt. Enjoy the sun, just know the risks.
What are We Doing at Healthcare RM?
Good Question, we like to keep our staff active and fit both physically and mentally. So you will find a number of our staff participating in a variety of activities and events of the summer. We have a weekly cycling club where a mix of abilities get together to enjoy a couple of hours cycling after work. We have a lunch time running crew who clock up 4 miles per session, keeping them lean and trim. There are walkers who go to the Malvern Hills for a weekly walk. There are Yoga enthusiasts, who do daily yoga practice. There are the slightly mad who do triathlons and Ironman competitions; all in all every one has an activity that suits them and benefits their individual health in some way. This is the key to improving your health. Find the exercise that you enjoy and balance that with healthy sensible eating, keeping everything in moderation. Make some "me time" every day where you are able to relax and unwind from the day's work. The small, simple changes are the ones that make the most impact and are sustainable over a long period of time.
New Healthcare RM Case Management Phone Number
Healthcare RM has a new phone number for Case Management, Careline and Healthcare Scheme services: 0844 381 4008. This number will be cheaper to use than the last number and will make it easier and quicker for you to get though to the correct person to help. The number for accounts, sales and marketing and general enquiries remains as 0871 200 5060.
Trek to Everest Base Camp DVD
Those of you who saw the news item about the Trek to Everest Base Camp last November can now purchase copies of the DVD of the adventure if interested. The spectacular scenery in it gives a flavour of the Country and its' people. The proceeds of the sale of the DVD will go entirely to the Ghurkha Charity. More information about the Ghurkhas can be found by following this link to the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10782099. To buy a copy of the DVD please e-mail your interest to info@theroadmakerinn.co.uk and Keshar, who was in the Ghurkha Regiment for 20 years or so, will arrange to collect payment and send the DVD to you.
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