Health WATCH September 2021
Coping with anxiety amid COVID surge
2 • Thursday, September 23, 2021 • Health Watch
IN THIS ISSUE 2..........OSF Saint Anthony’s captures gold for stroke care 3..........COVER STORY: Coping with anxiety amid COVID surge 4..........Giving yourself grace 6..........‘Dear Dietitian’ answers your health questions 7..........Helpful tips for hearing aid users
OSF Saint Anthony’s captures gold for stroke care OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center Special to Health Watch
ALTON — Seconds count when someone is having a stroke, and that has driven the Stroke Care Team at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton to continue to go for the gold when it comes to achieving the best care for our patients. OSF Saint Anthony’s has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) – Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. The hospital has also qualified to be recognized as a recipient of the AHA/ASA Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award. Criteria include administering the right medication and therapy within a certain amount of time for a majority of stroke patients.
OSF Saint Anthony’s has achieved the two designations for three consecutive years. But new recognition for this year includes the GWTG – Stroke Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. The AHA/ASA initiated the new designation to recognize hospitals meeting guidelines that ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes receive the most up-todate, evidence-based care when hospitalized with cardiovascular disease or stroke. “We are dedicated to helping our patients achieve the best possible outcomes, and implementing the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines Mission: Lifeline® program helps us by making it easier for our teams to put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis,” said Aaron Harper, RN, BSN, stroke coordinator at OSF Saint Anthony’s. “We are proud to be among the elite health care institutions in the country receiving this designation,” said Jerry Rumph, president, Saint Anthony’s. “But our greatest reward is caring for our patients. That’s why we’re committed to turning treatment guidelines into lifelines. I’m so thankful for tangible evidence of our Mission Partners’ daily commitment to using those guidelines at OSF Saint Anthony’s. It is worth celebrating.”
healthwatch HEALTH WATCH PUBLISHER Denise VonderHaar dvonderhaar@edwpub.net (618) 463-2500 — HEALTH WATCH ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Carole Fredeking carole.fredeking@hearst.com (618) 463-2500 — ON THE COVER: According to a study done by the American Psychological Association (APA), since the start of the pandemic two in three Americans reported sleeping more or less than they wanted to; one in four essential workers have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder; and around one-half of the study population report feeling uneasy about readjusting to in-person interaction post-pandemic.
HEALTH WATCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jill Moon jill.moon@hearst.com (618) 208-6448 — HEALTH WATCH COORDINATOR Regina Harbison rharbison@thetelegraph.com (618) 208-6433 —
Health Watch • Thursday, September 23, 2021 • 3
Coping with anxiety amid COVID surge OSF HealthCare
ALTON — More than a year and a half ago, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and just when things seemed to be getting better, it got worse with the delta variant surge. According to a study done by the American Psychological Association (APA), since the start of the pandemic two in three Americans reported sleeping more or less than they wanted to; one in four essential workers have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder; and around one-half of the study population report feeling uneasy about readjusting to in-person interaction post-pandemic. These are only a few of the alarming statistics surrounding mental health issues that have been on the rise over the last year and a half. When the three COVID-19 vaccines were approved in the U.S. (a Pfizer vaccine to prevent COVID-19 for people 12 years of age and older, as well as Johnson and Johnson and Moderna for people age 18 and older), an end to this pandemic was in sight. Some fully vaccinated people chose to ditch the mask altogether. Some individuals began gathering with family and friends once again, and venturing back out
Some people have decided to keep wearing a mask although fully vaccinated. Some people are choosing to err on the side of caution, and that is to be expected. The external influences and “peer pressure” can be detrimental to one’s mental health — even more so when someone is already experiencing anxiety from the pandemic. Licensed clinical social worker Marybeth Evans, with OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park, said each person will approach each situation or event their own way and encouraged others to accept and respect one another’s actions and decisions during this time.
to their favorite bar or restaurant. COVID-19 cases were on a decline, a sense of “normalcy” was returning, and people all across the country took a big sigh of relief. Now, with COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations on the rise once again, the delta variant highly prevalent, and only about one-half of Americans fully vaccinated, people are rethinking their social calendars and heading back inside to the safety
“We can’t let this whole event divide us. It has in many ways, and, I think, to get back to a healthy society we have to get back to healthy respect for one another.”
— Marybeth Evans
of their homes. Licensed clinical social worker Marybeth Evans, with OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park, discussed the anxiety that many are experiencing during this time and how to cope with it.
She said keeping some form of socialization intact is crucial for one’s mental health, whether it be in a small group in-person or resorting back to virtual gatherings. “I think some people have become used to being isolated, and now have developed
a bit of fear of going out,” Evans said. “In that case, I would say that being outside and being with friends and family — if that’s what you were used to before COVID — is a good remedy for getting back into life and lifting your mood. For different people it will mean different things.” Some people are regressing back to early pandemic days when they did not leave their homes except for essential errands. Even those
who are vaccinated may choose to take this route due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, which includes vaccine breakthrough cases. Others feel comfortable getting back into hosting and attending events and gatherings, especially in groups where the majority of attendees are vaccinated. The internal dilemma of whether to attend an in-person event, in combination of peer pressure to do one thing or the other, is adding to the anxiety many people are feeling. Evans encouraged people to be patient with their loved ones and to not guilt or pressure them to do or not do something, especially when it comes to larger events such as parties, weddings, and other gatherings where there will be bigger groups of people. “I think the person who is giving the event has to be aware that some people might not be comfortable coming and accept that not in a hurtful way, but just realizing that the world has changed, at least for now,” Evans noted. “And the person who is invited needs to figure out what will make them comfortable. “I think we just have to be patient with our family members about what they think is See ANXIETY | Page 5
4 • Thursday, September 23, 2021 • Health Watch
Giving yourself grace As we continue isolating during the that comes from these losses and stress COVID-19 pandemic, there are presabout what to do moving forward, so sures all around for everyone to use we must extend grace to ourselves and their “free time” productively. When avoid letting ourselves feel bad if we’re we continue hearing about what others not being “productive enough.” are doing with their time, we develop unrealistic expectations for ourselves, Ways to work through which can lead to self-criticism productivity guilt when we don’t meet them. • Don’t compare yourself to There is this deceptive idea others. Everyone has their own that because we are spending circumstances and realities, so much more time at home, and you must recognize you are we should have extra time to be doing the best you can in your more productive, and if we don’t situation. When you hear of othuse it in this way then we are ers remodeling their bathrooms, Jean being unwise. In reality, even planting new gardens or doing Alstat though we are not working in the any other extensive activity while For Health office or going out to do things staying at home, this is the best Watch as often, many are still feeling time to remind yourself to avoid exhausted and overwhelmed by making comparisons. the state of the world. • Let yourself rest. Depending on Daily routines were suddenly uproot- the circumstances, recognize that this ed, schools were closed, jobs were may be a time where you need even changed or lost and social gatherings more relaxation and down time than were discontinued. There is real grief before. COVID-related stress may have
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taken a toll on you, and it is important for you to work through those feelings to be mentally healthy. • Give yourself permission to feel the way you do. Remember that everyone deals with these events in different ways. For some, a distraction such as a project is needed, while others need quiet and comfort. Recognize and accept your need, and don’t criticize anyone else for doing what they need to do. • Educate yourself on grief. People are experiencing genuine grief in these confusing times. Life as we know it was changed in a matter of weeks, and we all have to work through it somehow. Understanding the stages of grief can help you better understand yourself and work through your difficult feelings. Practicing mindfulness Practicing mindfulness can help you process your feelings and move past your productivity guilt. Here are a few exercises for practicing mindfulness: 1. One-minute meditation. Get in a comfortable position and set your timer for one minute. Close your eyes and repeat a positive affirmation or imagine a peaceful scene. 2. Mindful eating. Choose your favorite piece of candy or snack and eat it mindfully. Slowly open or unwrap it, listening to the sound it makes. Examine your snack from all sides, engaging each of your senses – touch, sight,
sound and smell. Slowly take a bite, savoring the flavor before swallowing, and then think about why you enjoy it. 3. Massage your arms. Using hand lotion, work your way up from your hands to your elbows with soothing c motions. s 4. Listen to comforting sounds. e Choose whether you want to play your J favorite music or simply sit outside andm listen to the sounds of nature. Close o your eyes and take in all the sounds to d enjoy a moment of peace. a 5. Doodle or color. Even if you feel e like it is childish, doodling and coloring are relaxing, easy activities that can s help put you at ease. a If COVID-related stress is affecting o your ability to care for yourself or your a family, remember to reach out for sup- t port. Talk to a qualified mental health o professional or your primary care a physician. To learn more about help t you can receive from Centerstone, call 1-877-HOPE123 (877-467-3123). d Jean Alstat serves as Clinical Director for i behavioral health, community and preven- f tion services in the Carbondale, Marion and p West Frankfort offices in Illinois. In this role, she oversees a variety of services including Prevention, Early Head Start, Community Outreach, Early Intervention and Family Services. Alstat received her MSEd in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Community Counseling. She has the National Counselor Certification and has worked for Centerstone and its legacy organizations for 20 years. She is a long-term resident of Jackson County.
Health Watch • Thursday, September 23, 2021 • 5
Anxiety From page 3
comfortable. That is something I would encourage for anybody. Just try not to be judgmental about what other people think or do. Try to be friendly and open to differences.“ Ultimately, Evans said, each person will approach each situation or event their own way and encouraged others to accept and respect one another’s actions and decisions during this time. This also includes the decision to keep wearing a mask although fully vaccinated. Some people are choosing
to err on the side of caution, and that is to be expected. The external influences and “peer pressure” can be detrimental to one’s mental health — even more so when someone is already experiencing anxiety from the pandemic. “We can’t let this whole event divide us,” Evans said. “It has in many ways, and, I think, to get back to a healthy society we have to get back to healthy respect for one another.” Evans explained ways to cope with the anxiety some might be experiencing. “Keep up with your spiritual life, your friends,” she said. “Dealing with anxiety is something that really
requires other people. Change your thoughts. Distract yourself. Use meditation. Develop some stress-free moments in your day. I think that everybody should practice some kind of self-care.” If you or a loved one are experiencing mental health struggles caused by the pandemic, OSF HealthCare offers free behavioral health navigation services to help understand all resources available in your area. OSF Silver Cloud is also available. The free mental health digital support tool is available in communities served by OSF. Visit www.osf healthcare.org for more information and how to access OSF Silver Cloud.
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6 • Thursday, September 23, 2021 • Health Watch
DEAR DIETITIAN
Water’s appeal almost drained Dear Dietitian, emptying of stomach contents I have acid reflux and gastinto the small intestine. The roparesis, and both are under cause of this condition often good control with medication. is unknown but may be from I drink water and sugar-free uncontrolled diabetes, abdomsports drinks, and I’m inal surgery that damgetting tired of them. ages the vagus nerve, or Are there other drinks disorders that affect the you would recommend? nervous system, such as I do not have diabetes. Parkinson’s disease or Sharon multiple sclerosis. Dear Sharon, GERD, or “heartIt is not uncommon burn,” is a more comLeanne for those who have mon condition that McCrate For Health gastroparesis also to affects about 20% of Watch have gastroesophageal Americans. In this reflux disease (GERD). condition, the valve For those who are not between the esophagus familiar with gastroparesis, (the tube that connects the it is a condition in which the mouth and stomach) and actions of the stomach are stomach relaxes and allows slowed down, causing delayed stomach acid to flow back
into the esophagus. Since this acid has a pH of around 2.5 (very acidic), it causes a burning feeling, often in the chest area, giving it the nickname “heartburn.” Of course, this process does not affect the heart. Fortunately, many beverages on the market today will “wet your whistle” and keep you refreshed. The following lists should help you with GERD. Choose freely from these: • Milk, plant-based or cow’s milk • Less acidic fruit juices, like pear or apple • Sports drinks, regular or diet. • Water enhancers. These
are fruity flavors you can add to jazz up your water. They are sold in the same aisle as sports drinks. • Herbal tea — licorice, chamomile, slippery elm or marshmallow • Decaffeinated iced tea or coffee Limit these: • Carbonated beverages • Caffeinated beverages • Alcoholic drinks • Chocolate drinks. These beverages contain caffeine and methylxanthine, a substance that relaxes the esophageal valve • Spearmint or peppermint As for gastroparesis, liquids move out of the stomach faster than solids, so you
only need to watch out for ice cream drinks or beverages that are high in fat, because fat slows stomach emptying. Finally, it is best to try an “as tolerated” approach. Keep a log of drinks that cause problems with your conditions so you know what to avoid in the future. And as always, be healthy! Dear Dietitian Leanne McCrate, RD, LD, CNSC, is an award-winning dietitian based in Missouri. Her mission is to educate consumers on sound, science-based nutrition. Do you have a nutrition question? Email her today at deardietitian411@gmail.com. Dear Dietitian does not endorse any products, health programs, or diet plans.
Health Watch • Thursday, September 23, 2021 • 7
Helpful tips for hearing aid users ALTON — For those who wear a hearing aid, here’s some helpful tips for adjusting and troubleshooting. 1. Feedback — that whistling sound made by a hearing aid- is much less of a problem than it was years ago. Feedback shouldn’t occur unless you put your hand over your hearing aid or bring a telephone too close to it. A build- up of earwax can cause excessive feedback. A loose fitting earmold or eartip could also be the culprit. 2. The sound quality on television sets ranges from excellent to terrible and can vary from channel to channel. All television sets have built-in captioning that displays a written text of what is being said. You can turn captioning on through the remote control. 3. ‘”Is there a problem with my hearing aid? The sound gets louder when I press on the earmold.” This effect is normal. When you press on your earmold (or the hearing aid itself for canal aids), the mold fits a little tighter and deeper, making the ear canal volume less. Smaller ear canal volume results in slightly louder sound. 4. Hearing Aid Dead — that you try a second new battery and your aid still doesn’t work, it’s probably the hearing aid, not the battery. Check for wax blockage or let us check your hearing aid for you. 5. Has my hearing
changed? 6. Time to Zoom or Someone coming in for a FaceTime? The telephone hearing check-up will often can be a challenge for say, “I think my hearing people with hearing loss. has gotten worse.” There are many ways to Our examination may use the phone, some of find little change in hearthem quite different from ing sensitivity or underwhat anyone might have standing word quiet. Can imagined a few years ago. your hearing change even Telephone amplifiers and if your hearing test telecoils built into results look the hearing aids have same? Our auditory been available for system changes in many years. Newer other ways as we approaches include get older. These wireless streaming, changes are sepalive captioning, and rate from any loss relay (voice-to-text of hearing sensitranslation through tivity. One change Dr. T K a third party). is a slowing of the Parthasarathy Each method has For Health speed our nerves its own advantages. Watch send signals from Wireless streaming the ear to the brain. sends the telephone Another change is how voice to both ears. Capour brain processes those tioning sends a text of the nerve signals. In other voice. This allows you to words, it’s not only our read a written reproducears- it’s also our brain. tion of what’s been said. As a result, adults older It’s easier to understand than 50 years old don’t speech when you can see understand as easily in the person who’s talking. difficult listening settings 7. Can you combine when compared to younger these advantages? If you adults. That’s why older use a smart phone or adults with normal hearing tablet (such as an iPhone often complain of having or iPad), there are many difficulty if people talk applications that allow you fast. in noisy conditions or to see the person you’re in groups of people. talking with FaceTime, Aging can affect our Zoom and WhatsApp have hearing in ways other than become very popular with change in hearing sensipersonal and business tivity. Hearing aids may users over the past panreduce or minimize these demic year. With Zoom, effects by stimulating the WhatsApp and FaceTime, auditory system and keepyou both see and hear the ing our brains actively. person you’re talking with. Communication stratThe visual cues and hearegies such as lipreading, ing with both ears make letting people know you hearing and understanding
much easier. 8. How much better? In a recent study, individuals with severe hearing loss listened to speech over the phone. The conditions included listening with hearing aid telecoil (with and without Zoom or FaceTime) and when wirelessly streamed to their hearing aids (with and without Zoom or FaceTime). Under all conditions, listening while seeing the speaker’s face provided every listener much improved understanding. The average score without the visual cues: 48%. The average score with the visual cues provided by Zoom or FaceTime: 71%. The greatest benefit was for individuals who had the most difficulty using the phone. Do you have to use FaceTime or Zoom, or a captioned telephone? Certainly not. But when you can, you’ll find these techniques make it much easier to have a phone conversation. 9. Apple Watch users have been able to track their noise exposure, heart rate, exercise and other health data for several years. About a year Apple
launched a study of Apple Watch users’ hearing health. The study used questionnaires and regular hearing tests. In preliminary findings, about 25% of participants reported tinnitus (ringing in the ears).One in five reported hearing loss. About 10% of all participants had received an audiologic examination that indicated hearing loss, but only 25% of these were using hearing aids. The study will continue and will eventually include hundreds of thousands of Apple Watch users. To date, though, these findings confirm what we already know: hearing loss is common and often goes untreated. The greatest leap forward in improved hearing health lies not in technological advances, as impressive as they are. The greatest leap forward lies in individuals with known hearing loss using hearing help that is already available. Note: Another app, Soundprint, allows you to check noise levels of restaurants in advance and to measure the noise
level at your location. 10. Winning team-patients with hearing loss who take advantage of the hearing care available today do well in all kinds of listening settings. There are millions of success stories-all thanks to the hearing health care team. We are here to help you to improve your quality of life. Be proactive and take that first step to discuss your hearing difficulties with your hearing health care team because your hearing deserves good care. Call our office to schedule an appointment. Dr. T.K. Parthasarathy, Ph.D., FAAA, former Professor of Audiology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, with 30 years of experience in helping patients with hearing loss, is an ASHA Certified Clinical Audiologist with two offices at the Better Hearing Clinic (www.betterhearingclinic.com) in Alton (618433-9932) and Glen Carbon (618-205-1055). All patients 50 years and older are welcome to join Better Hearing Clinic’s Hearing Wellness Program in the community to promote healthy hearing and healthy living and are eligible for a complimentary free hearing consultation.
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You wouldn’t ignore your car’s check engine light, so don’t ignore those trick knee, You wouldn’t your car’s check light, warning so don’t ignore those trick knee, hernia bulge,ignore stomach bloat, joint acheengine or heartburn lights, either. hernia bulge, stomach bloat, joint ache or heartburn warning lights, either. We can help. Talk to your doctor to learn about your options and start feeling better. We can help. Talk to your doctor to learn about your options and start feeling better.
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