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By Jason Wartgow, APRN-CNP
Certified Nurse Practitioner, McComb Family Practice

The body normally cools itself by sweating. During hot weather, especially in high humidity, sweating isn’t enough. Body temperature can rise to dangerous levels if precautions are not taken. Workers exposed to hot and humid conditions are at risk of heat illness, particularly to those doing heavy work tasks or using bulky protective clothing and equipment. Factors that increase the likelihood of heat exhaustion include intense/strenuous work, diabetes or hyperglycemia, drug abuse, heavy/long-term alcohol use, tobacco use, obesity, medications for certain illnesses (depression, insomnia, allergies, hypertension or heart disease) or if you are over 65 years of age. 

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By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) was a 1964 song released by Tony Bennett. The song was recorded again as a duet in 2011 with Queen Latifah and a second duet in 2012 with Gloria Estefan. Many of Tony Bennett’s songs became popular again with the help of Lady Gaga and their 2014 album and tour titled Cheek to Cheek. 

Tony Bennett passed away on July 21, 2023 leaving behind a wonderful legacy. He won 20 Grammy Awards. He set a Guinness World Record by being the oldest person to release an album with new material at the age of 95. 

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The Allen County Health Department will be offering a vaccine clinic for students in grades 7-12 at Bluffton Middle School, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 9.

- Incoming 7th graders need Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines

- Incoming 12th graders need the Meningococcal vaccine.

In addition, the Allen County Health Dept. will have clinics in Lima at 219 E. Market St., on July 31, August 2 and August 3, from 8-11:30 a.m. and from 1:30-5:00 p.m. each day.

Please call 419-228-4457 for an appointment.
 

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By Jami Koziel, RRT, CPFT
Pulmonary Services, Blanchard Valley Health System

Asthma is a heterogeneous respiratory disease–meaning it presents in many different ways–that affects an estimated 25 million Americans, with six million being children. The financial cost of asthma exceeds $81 billion every year and despite all the resources invested, asthma is responsible for over 3,500 deaths annually in the United States. The prevalence of asthma is proven to be higher among individuals of low socioeconomic status than among those with higher socioeconomic status. 

Generally, there has been a lack of priority in the effects and differences in asthma prevalence among populations as well as the response to therapies among racial and ethnic minorities. To illustrate, African American patients respond differently to corticosteroids in contrast with White patients. One study suggests Hispanic and non-Hispanic White children exhibit better responses to increasing therapy with Long-Acting Beta Agonist (LABA), rather than higher doses of Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS), whereas African American children were less likely to respond to adding leukotriene receptor antagonists, and more likely to respond to increasing dosing of ICS.

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By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

"How sweet it is" was a signature phrase of comedian and actor Jackie Gleason.  Born in Brooklyn, John Herbert Gleason became a success in several well-known shows such as The Honeymooners and The Jackie Gleason Show. His biography written by James Bacon was published in 1986. Jackie Gleason starred in several movies later in his life including The Hustler with Paul Newman and Smokey and Bandit with Burt Reynolds.

The Gleason signature phrase was the inspiration for the song How Sweet It Is (To be Loved by You) sung by Marvin Gaye. This American soul singer recorded and released the song on his fifth studio album in 1965. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard charts. James Taylor released a version of this song on his 1975 album titled Gorilla. His easy listening version hit number one on the charts.

How sweet it is explains why artificial sweeteners are popular for reducing calories in many foods and beverages. Artificial sweeteners can be 200 to 20,000 times sweeter than regular table sugar (sucrose) with little to no added calories.

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By Lisa Stewart, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist, Julie A. Cole Rehab and Sports Medicine Clinic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently eliminated a total of 216 milestones from their guidelines, including crawling. While the CDC has stated that there is no evidence that supports the idea that 75 percent of children will crawl, many therapists (including myself) still strive to encourage and teach our pediatric patients to crawl. 

As a child learns to crawl, the entire body is affected and progresses toward success with mobility. Initial reflexes are integrated during crawling. If these reflexes do not merge into a child’s development, it could cause many pieces of dysfunction. Maintaining weight bearing on all four limbs helps encourage visual tracking, their limbs moving forward in space, crossing the midline in tracking and scanning their environment.

Crawling is the first and only time a young child will be putting their weight through their upper extremities. Therefore, they are strengthening their arms for other skills as they age, such as writing, using scissors and dressing themselves. Crawling promotes and develops the vestibular and balance system, which allows for improved mobility when the child is ready. It also helps to develop the sensory system, cognition/problem-solving and coordination. 

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