Health Awareness should be a year long, continuous cycle. November has been designated as Awareness Month because of the upcoming holiday season. Before the holidays and celebrations get underway it is suggested that everyone takes care of their body. November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to making people aware of the issues involving the disease, and paying tribute to caregivers and those that have the disease.
Age is the most known risk factor when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease. There is research being done to see if genetics, education, diet, and environment play a role in developing this horrible disease.
This 11th month of the year, for the American Diabetes Association, brings greater awareness and attention to the seriousness, deadly complications, and the importance of proper diabetes control. Some serious complications of the disease include heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, amputations and blindness. Spending time now on eye care, foot care, skin care, heart health, and oral health is important to delay or prevent diabetes complications later.
November is also Epilepsy Awareness Month. The focus of this month is to make people aware of the disorder and promote awareness. Epilepsy is a brain disorder where the brain cells create abnormal brain activity. The abnormal brain activity is what causes the seizure. There are approximately 200,000 new cases of seizures and epilepsy that occur each year.
If someone is having a seizure there are important steps one should follow to reduce the stress of the situation.
1. Do not try to hold the person still. Instead of helping them, this could cause them more injury.
2. Remove any objects around the person that could hurt them further.
3. Turn the person on their side, allowing for any possible secretions to come out safely.
4. Call 911 if the seizure lasts more than 10 minutes. Most seizures are not life threatening. Call 911 if you are in doubt.
5. Watch the person for 15 minutes after an episode to make sure there is no unusual activity.
6. Allow the person to rest since they will be tired.
In addition, November is National Healthy Skin Month. Skin is the body’s first line of defense against disease and infection. Skin is the largest organ in your body, which helps to regulated body temperature, helps body remove excess water and salt and prevents excess fluid loss.
There are many things that you can do to keep your skin healthy, as well as many options to treat your skin if you have any skin problems. According to dermadoctor.com there are many myths when it comes to your skin.
It is a myth that people can stop applying sunscreen daily after summer is over. It is possible to get sunburn when there are clouds in the sky. As long as one is outside, one should be wearing sunscreen.
It is a myth that one type of body moisturizer will be sufficient for your skin all year-round. It is recommended that in the warmer seasons you use a lotion-based product and in the colder seasons you use a cream-based product. The cream-based moisturizer helps to restore moisture levels while creating a protective barrier against harsh weather.
A skin disorder is sometimes the first sign that someone has diabetes. Here are some tips to take good care of your skin. 1. Keep skin dry and clean. 2. Avoid very hot baths and showers. 3. Moisturize your skin. But not between your toes! 4. Bathe less during cold, dry months. 5. Use mild shampoos and no feminine hygiene spray. 6. See a dermatologist if you can not solve your own skin problems
TMJ Awareness Month belongs to November. TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, while TMJD includes muscles disorders. It was designated on September 30, 1997 when Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank said “TMJDs are among the more painful, yet least understood disorders affecting people today.”
TMJ is a group of painful conditions, affecting the jaw joint and muscles controlling the jaw movements. Frequently injury plays a role in TMJ problems, but just many people they do not know how it happens.
In addition to November being an awareness month for everything that was previously mentioned, this month has many more responsibilities. Not only is it an awareness month for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month, it is also the month for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness and Lung Cancer Awareness.
It is very important to celebrate Health Awareness month and get checked. Stay healthy around the holidays, but do not forget that health awareness is yearlong and will always be a continuous cycle.
Jackie Aliotta is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies with minors in business and technical writing and Spanish. She can be reached at JA609350@wcupa.edu.