Some good advice from Dave Clark of Patient First:

HAVE A HEALTHY, HYDRATED WINTER
Fluids Are Key To Your Winter Health


  Baltimore, MD – You hear it all the time: drink lots of fluids. But should you worry as much about staying hydrated during the winter? The answer is simple: Yes.

Dehydration is common during the winter months. Winter activities are just as strenuous as summer activities. Anyone who has gone skiing, ice skating or even built a snowman knows that you can build up a healthy sweat. We also tend to wear layers of warm clothing during the winter. That means our bodies work harder (by sweating) to cool us down. 

If you don’t stay hydrated you can suffer exhaustion, muscle fatigue, cramps, loss of coordination or even stroke. Dehydration also makes you an easy target for colds and flu.

Here are some tips to keep you hydrated this winter:

• Drink before, during and after exercise or outdoor activities.
• Drink half of your body weight in fluid ounces every day.
• Water-based foods like soup, fruits and vegetables are a great source of hydration and nutrients.
• Reduce the amount of sodium in your diet.

 

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Some good advice from Dave Clark of Patient First:

STAY HEALTHY THIS COLD AND FLU SEASON
Doctors Offer Advice On Avoiding The Bug


  Baltimore, MD – You hear the coughing, sneezing and sniffling all around you. Cold season is in full swing, the flu is right around the corner and you have too much going on to get sick. You can reduce your risk by taking a few simple steps to stay healthy and not spread germs among family and friends.

• Wash your hands. Wash your hands frequently, especially after being in public and after the kids come home from school. Soap and warm water kill a lot of the germs that you pick up as part of daily life.

• Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids keep you hydrated and help clear toxins from your body.

• Exercise and nutrition. Regular exercise increases your blood flow and your immunity. A healthy diet that includes vegetables and fruits builds up your immune system.

• Rest. Take a little time now to rejuvenate your body or your body will force you to take a much longer “time out” when you get sick.

  What if you do start feeling sick despite your best efforts? How can you tell if it is a cold or the flu? Cold symptoms can make you feel bad for a few days, while the flu lasts longer and can lead to more serious health problems. 

  A cold can start with a sore throat followed by runny nose and nasal congestions. Adults usually don’t have a fever with a cold. Influenza symptoms usually come on quickly and include fever, headache, muscle aches and cough.

Patient First doctors are available to discuss symptoms and treatments. Contact David Clark at (443) 577.2907 for interviews.


About Patient First
  Patient First currently operates 37 centers in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It opened its first facility in Richmond, Virginia in 1981 and developed many automation-based operating systems and practices that were considered innovative at the time and which have been continually improved to meet the needs of today’s patients.

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Being ADA Compliant Makes Good Business Sense

  Are you familiar with how the American Disabilities Act (ADA) relates to your business? With the passage of this Act in 1990, commercial facilities must remove architectural barriers in existing facilities, including communication barriers that are structural in nature, where such removal is readily achievable, i.e., easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense. Some examples of this include:

• Installing ramps

• Repositioning shelves

• Rearranging tables, chairs, and display racks

• Installing flashing alarm lights.

  Giving attention to these modifications will help you tap into the growing market of the disability population. The 2000 U.S. Census found that there are more than 50 million Americans with disabilities. Almost one in five people in this country are potential customers for businesses that are accessible to people with disabilities!

  The percentage of people with disabilities is larger than any single ethnic, racial, or cultural group in the U.S. At 19.3%, the number of people with disabilities exceeds the next largest group -- Hispanic people (14.9%) -- by a wide margin.

  For more information about the ADA and business, visit the Department of Justice ADA Business Connection at www.ada.gov. Or, call the toll-free ADA Information Line: 800.514.0301.

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Choose Energy-Efficient Air Conditioning
by Lorene Bartos

This article appeared in the July 28, Lincoln Journal Star Newspaper.

  Trying to keep the temperature, humidity level and energy costs down? An important factor in lowering costs and efficient operation is an air-conditioning system that is properly sized, installed, maintained and operated, and is selected with energy and efficiency in mind.

  Common problems include improper selection and operation, faculty installation and inadequate or poor servicing and maintenance.

  For economical operation, set your air conditioner at a higher temperature when away from home. Closing registers in unused rooms may not save energy because central air conditioners are planned to cool the total living space. Programmable thermostats allow setting the time when the air conditioner will turn on or perform at cooler and hotter temperatures.

  Close storms, outside doors, shades and shutters when operating an air conditioner. Provide shade on the outside and inside of windows – especially those on the east and west sides. Proper landscaping can make a significant difference in summer cooling.

  Reduce moisture sources inside the house such as excessive showers. Use range and bathroom vents to exhaust moisture when cooking or showering. Always vent dryers outside. Fix leaks and stop any water or moisture from entering the home through cracks in walls and along foundations.

  Leaky ducts waste energy when cool air escapes from the supply ducts or hot attic air leaks into return ducts. In an average central air-conditioning system, 10 to 30 percent of the conditioned air may escape through the ducts into places not intended to cool such as the attic, basement or exterior walls. A professional service technician or weatherization professional can detect and correct duct leaks. Ducts can be sealed with duct “mastic.” Older duct tape can fail. Sealing with duct tape is not satisfactory because duct tapes can fail soon after installation. If duct tape is used, select foil-backed tape.

  Be sure supply or return air ducts and registers are not blocked. Blocked ducts can result in poor air-conditioning performance.

  Sometimes the amount of refrigerant in the system does not match the manufacturer's specifications and hampers the unit's performance and efficiency. When the unit is serviced, ask them to check the manufacturer's specifications. If a unit is low on refrigerant, it may leak or was undercharged at installation. The refrigerant level should match the manufacturer's specifications and not be over- or undercharged.

  Compressors or fans are more likely to fail prematurely if filters and air-conditioning coils are allowed to become dirty. If the system is oversized for the home, the compressor and fan controls can wear out because the air conditioner turns on and off more frequently. A larger-than-needed unit cycles off and on frequently, thus reducing its efficiency and resulting in temperature, humidity and comfort fluctuations.

 Check your air conditioner and keep it maintained for best service. Remember to set the temperature higher when no one is home. Conserving energy helps the budget and the environment.



Source:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/home/Articles/2002/airconditioner.htm