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Your Health, edition 22

Welcome to the 22nd edition of Your Health, a modest effort by Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin to help keep you and your loved ones healthy. As we head into the holiday season, please accept our warm wishes for a joyous holiday and a happy and healthy 2008.

In this edition, we go all holidays all the time!  We'll talk about the best ways to reduce holiday stress.  We'll answer that age old question of when's the best time to get pregnant (you can insert your own joke here).  And beware of food at the holidays. We don't just mean fruitcakes and extra pounds, either.

One thing you will be thankful for this holiday is that I didn't sing for you, but pretend this is to the tune of Jingle Bells, and see if this doesn't ring true for you:

Dashing through the snow
In a mindless fit of fray
Through the malls we go
Rushing all the way.
Horns on Hondas blast
We have to get home fast!
What fun it is to bake and wrap
Thank God it doesn't last!!
Jingled nerves, jingled nerves, jingled all the way…

Perhaps cheery holiday carols don't quite capture the essence of your holiday season. Maybe when you hear the words “peace on earth” at this time of year, it feels more like a cruel joke. If you're like many people, the peace comes only after it's all over.

The holidays are a time of parties, shopping, entertaining, religious observations, expectations, crowds, clutter, family gatherings, decorating, roller coaster emotions and, inevitably, stress. However, with a little planning and creativity, the holidays don't have to be so stressful. Here are some ideas for bringing a little peace and renewal to your holiday season.

Sit down with your family and come up with a list of ideas on how you would like to spend the holidays. Decide which ideas would be the most stressful in terms of cost, time, and energy and cross them off your list. Choose the things that you enjoy and can accomplish realistically. Prioritize the events that matter most to you and your family, and set a budget.

Reflect on the way you spend the holidays. What is most important to you—spending more money on your loved ones or spending more time with them? Do you believe the idea that “love-equals-money”? Are you driven by perfectionism and the sport of competitive gift-giving? Do you take the time to experience joy and the true meaning of the season?

What other ways could you show your love? Do you enjoy shopping or is it a hassle each year? Is gift giving really meaningful or do you end up with lots of clutter and gifts that you don't really need? What, if anything, would you like to change about how you celebrate the holidays? Answering these and other questions can help to clarify your values for the holiday season, and result in a much more relaxed and meaningful time.

Here are some tips to simplify your holiday challenges:

If you dislike traffic jams, crowded shopping malls and parking lots, and waiting in long lines, try shopping from a catalog or the internet. Wrap your presents early. Cut back on your baking. Don't bake 10 different types of cookies. Make your goodies ahead of time and freeze them so you'll have less to do during busy times. If you are looking for dessert variety, try organizing a cookie exchange with your family and friends. Take care of several errands in one trip, rather than making multiple trips. Consider drawing names rather than exchanging gifts with all your family members and friends. Limit the number of social events you host or attend. Delegate tasks to family members. Don't feel that you must be responsible for everything.

You'll be at your best and more resistant to stress and possible infection if you take good care of your health. Here are some suggestions:

Get plenty of sleep each night (at least 7 hours). Exercise regularly. Eat a well-balanced diet. It's okay to have some goodies at a party, but a few extra calories here and there can add up to holiday weight gain—slowing you down. Limit alcohol intake. Alcohol depresses the nervous system and can cause fatigue, depression, and sleep disturbances. Take time to unwind. Take a hot bath or find a quiet place to enjoy some time alone each day. Even a few minutes can make a difference. Stick to your healthy routine as much as possible.

And don't forget the joy of the holidays. Try to celebrate the holidays in new and creative ways. Remember that you're not a “human doing” but a human being! Enjoy the uniqueness of each special person in your life and enjoy the time you can spend just being together. Seek out the simple joys of the holiday season with your friends and family. Taking a walk around the neighborhood to look at holiday decorations, singing carols, playing games, or just talking are easy and healthy ways to positively experience the holidays.

Another way to reduce stress and the “holiday blues” is to keep your expectations realistic. Things will likely not be perfect, no matter how hard you try. There may be disappointments, arguments, and frustrations, in addition to excitement and joy. Try to go with the flow, allowing for inevitable delays and setbacks. Do not have the expectation of perfection from yourself, as well as from others around you.

If the holidays are a lonely time for you, find ways to increase your social support or consider volunteering your services to those in need. Helping others in need is a wonderful way to celebrate the message of the holiday season, as well as an excellent way to help you feel better.

It's one of the most popular health-related searches on the Internet: When is the best time to get pregnant? As you might have guessed with the theme of this podcast, the most likely time is Christmas.

That's according to researchers who find that births peak 9 months after the holidays. It's not that turkey and cranberries have a magical effect on fertility. Instead, husbands and wives who are separated by travel throughout the year tend to be together during the holidays. In countries that celebrate the New Year instead of Christmas, the peak in birth rates comes a bit later.

According to studies, although conceptions peak in December, men may be more fertile around February and March, when sperm counts tend to peak. Women, by contrast, show no seasonal changes in fertility.

There are other time factors that women should consider in planning their pregnancies. For example, women who conceive later in their cycle run a slightly increased likelihood of having twins, a chance that increases with age. Women who are wondering how far apart to space their children should know that babies conceived less than 9 months after the birth of a sibling are twice as likely to have a low birth weight. The highest risk of a low birth weight—1 in 9, in one study—is found among babies conceived within 3 months after a previous birth.

You rip into the holiday wrapping paper to find a holiday delicacy—an exotic, smoked game bird with a label that says "Keep Refrigerated."

Uh oh. It's been sitting in the living room for at least a week, and probably longer than that on a delivery truck. But it's smoked. Does that make it safe to eat? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Meat and Poultry Hotline has the answer.

Don't feel silly. You're not the only one with questions. According to the USDA, the Hotline answers nearly 30,000 food handling and food safety questions each year. In light of recent epidemics of foodborne illness, people are more concerned than ever about the safety and proper storage of their food.

Food technologists with USDA's Processed Products division have the answer to your exotic game bird question.

"If a product is labeled 'Keep Refrigerated,' that's a warning that not all the bacteria have been inhibited or destroyed. Refrigeration is necessary to keep the food safe to eat."

Properly refrigerated, your game bird would be safe to eat. But because it's been sitting unrefrigerated in your living room, bacteria have had plenty of time to multiply.

USDA explains that "smoked" turkeys, game, hams, and other meats are smoked for flavor, not for preservation, and must be kept refrigerated. Products labeled as country hams, however, are different. With their high salt content and dryness, they are safe at room temperature. Bacteria can't grow on them. Other gift foods—canned meats, vacuum-packed steaks, sausage, and cheese assortments may or may not need refrigeration, depending on how they were processed.

Some sausages and cheeses in gift assortments don't need refrigeration. They are shelf-stable due to brining, drying and, sometimes, additives. Food additives are added to food during processing to prevent spoilage, protect flavor, and help prevent foodborne illness. Additives, together with drying and fermentation, make a processed product shelf-stable.

But many consumers calling the Hotline are confused about the role of additives. The USDA says, "Some callers are concerned that additives make the food less safe. Actually, it's the additives plus the processing that make it safe."

What foods are the safest?

• Jams and preserves, dried fruit, nuts, candies, and canned foods that do not require refrigeration
• Dry-cured country-style hams, beef jerky, hard salami, and other low-moisture meat products that do not require refrigeration
• Cookies, fruit cakes, and packaged processed cheese products

Food gifts: How to store them and how long they'll last

• Cans or jars of meat -- Refrigerate if so labeled; otherwise they are shelf-stable for 2-5 years. After opening, store in refrigerator for up to a week.
• Cheese, processed or hard -- Safe at room temperature, but refrigeration prolongs quality.
• "Cook-before-eating" ham -- Refrigerate for up to one week. After cooking, refrigerate up to five days.
• Country ham -- Shelf-stable for one year if unsliced. Refrigerate 2-3 months if sliced. Once cooked, refrigerate 5-7 days.
• Game birds -- Keep refrigerated up to two days raw or four days after cooking.
• Sausage labeled "Keep Refrigerated" -- Store refrigerated up to one week.
• Sausage, Hard/Dry -- If unopened, can be kept in the cabinet 4-6 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to six months. After opening, store up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

If you are sending food, make sure that the food product comes with storage and preparation instructions. Some mail-order food gift items are of an unusual nature and consumers may not know how to handle or prepare them.

Arrange a delivery date. Tell the recipient if the company has promised a delivery date. Or alert the recipient that "the gift is in the mail" so that they or a neighbor can be home to receive it. Otherwise, it may sit (unsafely) on the front porch or at the post office for hours, or even days. Don't have perishable items delivered to an office unless you know they will arrive on a work day, and there is refrigerator space available for keeping them cold.

When you receive a food product marked "Keep Refrigerated," open it immediately and check the temperature. Optimally, the food should arrive frozen or partially frozen with ice crystals still visible, or at least, refrigerator-cold to the touch.

If perishable food arrives warm, notify the company if you think you deserve a refund. Do not consume the food. It's the shipper's responsibility to deliver perishable foods on time and the customer's responsibility to have someone at home to receive the package.

Keep it cold. Refrigerate or freeze perishable foods immediately. Even if a product is partially defrosted it is safe to freeze it, although there may be a slight loss of quality.

If you are mailing food yourself:

• Pack it safely. Perishable foods will stay at a safe temperature longest if frozen solid first. Then pack them with a cold source such as a frozen gel pack or purchased dry ice.
• Use a sturdy box. Pack your frozen food and cold source in a sturdy box, such as heavy foam or corrugated cardboard. Fill up any empty space with crushed paper or foam "popcorn." Air space in the box will cause the food and cold source to thaw more rapidly.
• Label it "perishable." Your package should be clearly labeled "Perishable: Keep Refrigerated." Arrange a delivery date with the recipient. This is not the time for surprises. Ship your package by overnight delivery.

I hope this edition was useful, and didn't add to your holiday stress.  Again, have a wonderful holiday, and we'll be talking with you again next year, even though that's only a short time away. I'm Neal Linkon, and thanks for listening.