Category: Health Notes

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Take everyday precautions on ANY VIRAL ILLNESSES–common cold, flu, pandemic COVID-19 virus:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Take everyday preventive actions:

• Clean your hands often
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place.
• If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
• To the extent possible, avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, handrails, handshaking with people, etc. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger if you must touch something.
• Wash your hands after touching surfaces in public places.
• Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes, etc.
• Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs: practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (for example: tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell phones)
• Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded, closed-in settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection. The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

For information about handwashing, see CDC’s Handwashing website

For information specific to healthcare, see CDC’s Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings

These are everyday habits that can help prevent the spread of several viruses. CDC does have specific guidance for travelers.

Cervical Cancer Awareness and Prevention–wear TEAL color in January:

Each January we observe cervical cancer awareness month and reflect on a disease that affects over 12,000 women in the U.S. each year with approximately 4,000 associated deaths. Although the rate of cervical cancer in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women has decreased over time, AI/AN women continue to have 4.2 times the rate of illnesses and deaths due to cervical cancer when compared to non-Native women. Often, AI/AN women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in more advanced stages making successful treatment and cure more difficult.

Although the cause of cervical cancer is not completely understood and research continues, it is known that sexually transmitted Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) plays an important role in the development of cervical cancer. While HPV is common and almost every sexually active person will get it at some time in their life, few men and women will go on to develop cancer. When the body’s immune system can’t get rid of a high-risk HPV infection, it can linger over time and turn normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer. Risk factors associated with cervical cancer include early onset of sexual activity, having multiple sex partners, exposure to other sexually transmitted infections, smoking, and having a weakened immune system. Pain during sex or unexplained vaginal bleeding can be indicative of illness, but there are often no symptoms associated with cervical cancer, and diagnosis requires an examination and testing by a health care provider.

For Patients

Cervical cancer is preventable through regular screening and treating any abnormalities early-on before they progress to cancer. Screening with a Papanicolaou (Pap) test every three years is recommended for all women ages 21 to 65 years and screening with a Pap and HPV test is recommended every five years for women ages 30 to 65 years. If the results of any cervical cancer screening test show any abnormalities, additional testing known as a colposcopy test may be performed at your health care provider’s office.

One of the most important ways to protect yourself from HPV and related cancers is by getting vaccinated for HPV. The HPV vaccine is recommended for both girls and boys at the age of 11-12, as well as for older adolescents and younger adults. Building your immune system with a healthy diet and exercise, while stopping or never starting smoking is important as well. Also, decreasing your high risk sexual activity by using condoms and limiting the number of sexual partners can help. All of these actions can support your goal of reducing your risk of cervical cancer (HHS, 2020). 

Friends and Family

• If someone you know is struggling emotionally or is in crisis, you can make a difference by getting them the help and support they may need. Watch for these suicide warning signs:
• Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves
• Looking for a way to kill themselves, like researching online or buying a gun
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
• Talking about being a burden to others
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
• Acting anxious or agitated, or behaving recklessly
• Sleeping too little or too much
• Withdrawing or isolating themselves
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
• Extreme mood swings

Do’s when helping:

• DO talk openly about suicide
• DO be willing to listen
• DO allow expressions of feeling
• DO get involved, be available, and show interest and support
• DO remove means, such as weapons, rope, or pills

Don’ts when helping:

• Do NOT dare him or her to do something harmful
• Do NOT act shocked, judge, or “one-up” (example: “You’re having a bad day? You should hear about my day!”), as this encourages disconnection
• Do NOT be sworn to secrecy; do seek support
• Do NOT offer glib reassurance

Suicide is a scary topic, but help and education are available.

March is National Nutrition Month. 

Nutrition plays an integral part in many of our most prevalent diseases, including diabetes mellitus, heart disease, stroke, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, certain cancers, and osteoporosis. The Indian Health Service (IHS) Nutrition Program works both to improve the health of patients with nutrition-related diseases and to prevent these illnesses in future generations through interventions in schools, community health programs, and hospital and clinic-based services.

• IHS Nutrition Website
• 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines  
• Choose My Plate Website  (IHS, 2019). 

National Kidney Month raises awareness about the prevention and early detection of kidney disease.  Risk factors for chronic kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.  Lifestyle changes such as eating healthy, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight help prevent chronic kidney disease.

LINKS:

• Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention
• Diabetes Standards of Care & Clinical Practice Resources
• Education Materials and Resources (Online Catalog)  (IHS, 2019).

Common symptoms of diabetes:

• Urinating often.
• Feeling very thirsty.
• Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating.
• Extreme fatigue.
• Blurry vision.
• Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal.
• Weight loss – even though you are eating more (type 1)
• Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)  (WMD, 2019).