Displays and Exhibits for Healthinfo Island for February 2025

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits in Second Life using the SLURLs in this post. Click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images.  If you click each poster, you will get a private message with additional information and live links.

FEBRUARY is Heart Health Month. All of this month's poster sets relate to heart health!

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

Heart Attack
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/195/158/22

Heart Arrhythmias
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/188/181/24

Cardiac Rehabilitation Week
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/155/22

Cardiovascular Professionals Week
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24

Congestive Heart Failure
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26

Atrial Fibrillation
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/50/28/28

Angina
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/24/23/30

Is Alcohol Good For Your Heart?
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/63/32

Oats are January’s Grain of the Month

The Whole Grains Council has declared OATS to be the grain of the month of January.

Wild oats were eaten by prehistoric humans before they became a domestic crop. In fact, oats did not become a crop grain until after wheat and barley were already domesticated. The Romans brought oats as a crop to the British Isles. Oats being better adapted to cool wet climates than other grains, they became an important crop.

However, they were now well respected initially. Samuel Johnson defined oats in his famous 1755 dictionary as “A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland appears to support the people.” The Scottish rebuttal explained, “That’s why England has such good horses, and Scotland has such fine men!”

Europe has been the major producer of oats for human consumption, but climate change has severely impacted production in the past couple of years. Although oats are still mainly used as animal feed, their popularity as a breakfast food has grown.

Oat seeds are prepared in various ways for cooking. Old-fashioned (regular) oats have been steamed and flattened or rolled. Instant oats are precooked, dried, and flattened to make them quicker to cook. Most oats sold for human consumption are a whole grain, maintaining all their nutritional value.

Eating oatmeal can help with appetite control, as they keep you feeling fuller longer. They help with blood pressure control and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Oats are also good for your skin, applied externally! It’s an exfoliant, anti-inflammatory, and a popular home remedy for itchy dry skin.

Oats are tasty, with a sweet, almost nutty flavor. Why not cook some up and enjoy them today? 

Medical Mnemonics and Other Useful Advice

Mnemonics are memorization tools. They are short lists of letters or words that help you recall important related facts. You may have learned this one in grade school to help you recall the names of the planets in order:

• My - Mercury

• Very - Venus

• Educated - Earth

• Mother - Mars

• Just - Jupiter

• Sent - Saturn

• Us - Uranus

• Nine - Neptune

• Pizzas - Pluto

A group called Geeky Medics has put together a site for medical professionals called “Medical Mnemonics.” Although geared to doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, it contains a great deal of information valuable to lay people as well. Here are some examples.

Under Clinical Skills, the Communications section includes the SPIKES mnemonic for how to break bad news:

• Setting up

• Perception

• Invitation

• Knowledge

• Emotions

• Strategy and summary

Sooner or later, everyone has to break some form of bad news to someone else. The Geeky Medic’s guide to breaking bad news might be something you would want to keep a copy of. Although written to advise a doctor or nurse on how to tell a patient some bad news, you can use the same steps in other situations as well.

In the Dermatology section of Medical Mnemonics is the very important reminder of what to look for on your skin in order to recognize a potential melanoma:

• Asymmetry

• Border irregularity (or poorly defined)

• Color (varying colors)

• Diameter (>6mm)

• Evolving (changing in size, color or shape

There are numerous dermatology guides you could peruse.

Under Surgery Mnemonics, Orthopaedic Surgery, you will find the RICE mnemonic for soft tissue injuries such as sprains:

• Rest

• Ice

• Compression

• Elevation

In the Psychiatry Mnemonics you will find Risk Factors for Suicide:

• Sex (male)

• Age (<19 or >45 years)

• Depression

• Previous attempt

• Excess alcohol or substance use

• Rational thinking loss

• Social support lacking

• Organised plan

• No spouse

• Sickness

There is an accompanying Suicide Risk Assessment Guide.

This website isn’t going to qualify you for an RN or MD degree. But it does contain a wealth of information you might find helpful. Check it out!

How to Support Someone with Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is defined as lasting for over 12 weeks. It may linger after acute pain from injury or surgery has passed, or it may have no understandable cause. It affects the daily quality of life; a person with chronic pain may avoid many activities in an attempt to not make the pain worse. Chronic pain can cause mental distress, such as anxiety, helplessness, and hopelessness. It can ruin a person’s life.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are going to support someone who is dealing with chronic pain:

Learn about chronic pain and its effect on a person’s life.

• Understand that there will be better and worse days in terms of the pain level.
• Use your knowledge to support the person and help them address their needs.

Offer encouragement for actions that will support his or her quality of life. 

• Encourage physical therapy and other forms of movement, even if at first it is uncomfortable. Gradually increasing the length and intensity of exercise will improve pain levels and increase daily functioning.
• Help establish a balanced daily routine that includes exposure to sunlight.
• Encourage socialization.
• Encourage the person to practice good health habits related to sleep, nutrition, and avoidance of substance abuse.
• Encourage self-care, such as breathing exercises or other relaxation techniques. Perhaps pursuing a hobby will provide relaxation.
• Be flexible and adapt to his or her changing needs.

Provide emotional support.

• Encourage communication about his or her feelings. Be a good listener.
• Be patient, very patient.
• Provide motivation for increasing independence.
• Be empathetic, but not enabling. You shouldn’t reinforce a need for inactivity.

Help him or her find professional support if needed. 

• This could be medical, psychological, spiritual, or physical therapy.
• Advocate for his or her needs. Ensure that he or she receives appropriate professional care.

Having the support of a family member or a good friend can make a big difference in the life of someone living with chronic pain.

Keep an Eye on This Virus in 2025

Bird flu (also known as avian influenza) is a disease in many wild aquatic birds caused by an Influenza A virus. The virus can pass into other animals, including domestic birds and mammals, like dairy cattle and even humans. 

Most infections in humans (and other mammals) are due to exposure to birds that are infected with the H5N1 virus. Infections in humans are rare and generally symptoms are quite mild.

Bird flu does not appear to spread from person to person. Nor is it food-borne so it is safe to eat cooked eggs and poultry meat. Bird flu virus is not found in pasteurized milk nor in ground beef.

Bird flu virus has been found in some pet food. The viral infection has killed some domestic cats and wild cats.

A vaccine exists to protect domestic poultry. There is not yet a human vaccine, although some are being developed. The CDC recommends preventing infection by avoiding contact with sources of exposure whenever possible. 

On December 26, 2024, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported finding a new mutation of the H5N1 bird flu virus in a Louisiana man who had the first severe case of bird flu in the US. This mutation allows the virus to more easily attach to cells in the human upper respiratory tract. The mutated form was not found in the wild birds that likely infected the man, so it seems the mutated virus developed after the man was infected.

This mutation means the virus is more capable of infecting and causing more severe symptoms in humans. Definitely something to watch out for in the new year.

 

Healthinfo Island Displays and Exhibits for January 2025

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of these poster sets may help you stick with your New Year's Resolutions.

You can teleport to any of the eight displays and exhibits in Second Life using the SLURLs in this posting. Click on the poster with the same name as the title of the poster set, and you will get a notecard that contains all the text of the posters plus descriptions of the images.  If you click each poster, you will get a private message with additional information and live links.

Central Pavilion of Healthinfo Island
Check out the calming breathing exercise on the back wall!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/128/126/24

Losing Weight is Difficult
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/195/158/22

Heartburn!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/188/181/24

Fluoride and Health
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/172/155/22

Cancer Screening and Prevention Benefits
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/114/79/24

Types of High Blood Pressure
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/98/40/26

Healthier Life with Type 2 Diabetes
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/50/28/28

Practicing Gratitude
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/24/23/30

Take a Nap!
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/21/63/32