From hydrotherapy to massage, home therapies can help ease arthritis pain

 (BPT) - About one out of every five American adults has been diagnosed with arthritis, and it is the most common cause of disability in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pain and stiffness caused by arthritis - and the high cost of arthritis medications - prompt many people to seek effective home therapies.

 

  

While you should always work with your doctor to manage your arthritis, you can also do a lot at home to help minimize symptoms. Home remedies like hydrotherapy, massage and simple exercise have been shown to help reduce the pain and inflammation associated with multiple forms of arthritis.

Here are some common home therapies to discuss with your health care provider:
Massage - Recent studies indicate that massage can help people with arthritis, the Arthritis Foundation reports on its website ArthritisToday.org. Simple massage of painful joints such as in the hands, elbows or knees, may help your arthritis pain. You don't need to pay for a professional massage to find relief. Talk to your health care provider for simple tips on self-massage. Besides pain relief, massage offers another benefit that may be particularly helpful to people living with chronic pain: relaxation.
Hydrotherapy - Soaking in warm water has been a viable home therapy for muscle and joint aches for centuries. Your arthritis may also cause mobility issues, making you wary about climbing in and out of a traditional soaking tub. A walk-in tub may be a viable alternative. Premier Care in Bathing, makers of walk-in tubs, offers its Hydrovescent Therapy system designed to help ease aches and pains but with gentler water motion than you would find in a traditional jetted tub. The company has earned the Arthritis Foundation's Ease of Use commendation for its easy-to-enter tubs that feature extra-wide, low-level entry, left or right-hand door openings, contoured and slip-resistant seats and backrests, and leak-free design. Remember to consult your doctor before beginning any home therapy, as hydrotherapy may not be appropriate for all types of arthritis or with other health conditions.
Lifestyle - As important as it is to work with your doctor to manage your arthritis, self-management is also essential. Lifestyle habits such as staying active and watching your weight can help reduce the pain of arthritis and improve function, according to the CDC. Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five days a week; it's OK to break that time into 10-minute intervals, the CDC says. Carrying excess weight can make your arthritis worse, and losing just 11 pounds can improve mobility and reduce pain. It's important to manage your weight as part of your overall arthritis treatment.
The CDC estimates that the number of people with arthritis will increase to 67 million by 2030. As more people struggle with arthritis' debilitating effects, simple, cost-effective home therapies may help millions more find relief.
For a free brochure including more information about walk-in bathtubs and other solutions for making living at home more convenient, visit premiercarebathing.com/saferbathing, or call 888-378-7953.

Demystifying Medicare Part D enrollment

(BPT) - With so many options based on where you live and what prescriptions you need, selecting a Medicare Part D Plan can be complicated and time consuming. However, every American 65 and older or Medicare disabled who wishes to enroll must enroll in a plan for 2013 no later than Dec. 7, 2012.
Alexis Abramson, Ph.D, a gerontologist and leading advocate for health and wellness issues affecting baby boomers and seniors, offers five simple tips to guide you through the process during this year's registration window.

1. Sign up for Medicare Part D - no matter what.

Even if you currently don't take any prescription medications, you should still consider signing up for a Medicare Part D Plan. If you enroll late or when you are in need of drug coverage, you could pay much higher premiums. The only exceptions to this rule are seniors with equivalent or creditable drug coverage from an employer's health care plan, retiree health plan or from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

2. You can get Part D two ways, but PDPs are a more affordable option.

Your first option is to buy Part D coverage as part of a private Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) that is based on the drugs you take. Your second option is to sign up for Medicare Advantage, a Medicare HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) that also includes Medicare Part A and Part B (hospital and medical). According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a majority of Medicare Part D enrollees opt for private PDPs.-


3. Plans change annually so take your time to research.

Assessing all your options isn't easy. You must weigh short-term savings in monthly premiums against long-term costs from co-payments or limited overall benefits. Consider your developing health concerns and how easily a plan will allow you access to your favorite doctor or specialist and medications you may be taking.

4. Preferred pharmacies matter.

Once you've found a plan that fits your budget and medication needs, don't forget about convenience when filling your prescriptions. A pharmacy accepted as 'preferred' by a Medicare Part D Plan is a network pharmacy that offers covered drugs to plan members at lower out-of-pocket costs than what the member would pay at a non-preferred network pharmacy.

5. Medicare plan finders are your friend.

There are so many options out there, so it can be hard to keep them all straight. Try one of the simple online search tools that source the most cost-effective plan for you.

What am I paying for in the price of a gallon of gasoline?

I’m asked this question a lot. And I know a lot of drivers ask themselves this question when they pull up to the pump.
The answer is based on the economics of supply and demand and how products are manufactured and sold – along with what the government takes in taxes. Let’s take a look, based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s breakdown of the estimated average price of a gallon of gas in December 2011, which was $3.27.


Raw materials = $2.62
The cost of the raw materials used to make a product has a major impact on the final product price. The raw material for gasoline is crude oil. The price of crude oil is set by global markets, where buyers and sellers constantly react to supply and demand factors. Oil is just one of many commodities traded every day in the global market. Others are the corn that affects the price of food and the cotton that affects the price of clothing. Read More.

Dredge Currituck: the little Corps vessel with a huge maritime mission

Now in use dredging the Housatonic River. See earlier post.--TG

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – From Florida to Maine, one unique vessel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ maritime fleet earns its “indispensable” reputation 363 days a year by dredging dangerous shoaling in shallow draft federal channel inlets: hopper dredge Currituck.
The Currituck recently spent three days dredging the federal channel at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, Va., and removed more than 7,700 cubic yards of shoaling sand. The Currituck hopper dredge then transported the fine sand, offloading it along the Virginia Beach coastline to replenish the city’s beachfront erosion.
Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers managed the maintenance project as part of their overall operations mission to ensure safe transiting of maritime traffic. Two Corps interns, Michael Weber and Bryan Hakey, spent a day on the Currituck.
“As a mechanical engineer, it was very cool to see up close how this tremendous crew and piece of machinery works and benefits the communities it serves,” Weber said. “The highlight of the day was getting to operate the Currituck.”
The Currituck is assigned to the Corps’ Wilmington District in North Carolina. It’s the only special-purpose type of hopper dredge in the United States that works the same projects as larger sidecasting dredges, only on a smaller scale. It features a self-propelled split hull and is equipped with a self-leveling deck-house located at the stern, where all controls and machinery are housed. The Currituck is hinged above the main deck so that the hull can open from bow to stern by means of hydraulic cylinders located in compartments forward and aft of the hopper section.
The Currituck operator steers the vessel through the shoal areas of the channel. The dredge pumps, located in the compartments on each side of the hull, then pumps material through trailing dragarms into the hopper section.

The Currituck’s lone hopper section has a maximum capacity of 315 cubic yards and during operation the hopper section is clearly visible to the operators in the pilot house, making production monitoring an easy task, said Joen Petersen, Currituck first mate.
“During our dredging operation here, we limited our capacity to between 200-225 cubic yards. With the fine material in Rudee Inlet and the disposal site so close, it was more efficient and productive to take smaller loads,” Petersen added.
The Currituck crew is comprised of highly trained professionals whose backgrounds and experience range from prior service with the U.S. Army, Coast Guard and Navy, to a graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy, who is now serving on another Wilmington District vessel.
Petersen, a retired U.S. Army chief warrant officer, has been with the Currituck crew for nearly three years. He said unusual items are recovered by Currituck dredging operations: “Tires, spear guns, swim suits, towels, more than 100 Frisbees on one project, 500 golf balls on another.”
The Currituck and its two crews work 12-hour daily shifts, year-around: eight days on, six days off, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. ”I believe the Currituck dredges more days each year than any other dredging vessel in the Corps fleet,” Petersen said.
Although the Currituck crew is called upon to work long hours, the great support they receive from the Corps districts they serve is indispensable, said Capt. Donnie Potter, Currituck skipper.
“Norfolk District has always gone the extra mile to ensure our dredging mission here is a success,” Potter said. “Their great logistical, survey and operational support provides the Currituck crew more time to concentrate on removing dangerous shoal areas that limit safe maritime navigation for local users.”
The Currituck’s next federal channel dredging project is the Oregon Inlet on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, followed by a real hardship mission -- Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Corps of Engineers-owned special-purpose dredge, CURRITUCK, visits New England, as it does almost every year. The CURRITUCK is a self-propelled, self-contained, split-hull hopper dredge, based out of the Corps' Wilmington District. The 150-feet long, 25-feet wide vessel has a bin capacity of 300 cubic yards, and is economical, safe to operate, and easy to maintain. Its shallow draft and ability to withstand sea conditions other types of dredges cannot make it a valuable resource in dredging shallow draft inlets, like those found in New England, in a timely and cost effective manner.

Housatonic River Dredging Underway

If you have been along the shore in Stratford or near the mouth of the Housatonic River in the last few days or nights you may have noticed an unusual looking ship plying the waters. Here is what you saw.--TG

 

   

 

Editor's note: This article originally appeared on Stratford Patch on Oct. 26. The dredging was pushed back from Monday to Wednesday as Superstorn Sandy impacted the area.
A project 13 years in the making began last week as the dredging process to deepen the Housatonic River to a minimum depth of 14 feet started at the mouth of the waterway.
It'll take about 27 days to remove some 50,000 cubic yards of silt from the shallowest parts of the boat channel leading up to the Devon Bridge, according Bill Rock, chairman of the town's Waterfront and Harbor Management Commission.
Rock said though most of the boat channel between Stratford and Milford has a depth of 18 feet or more, there are spots where the depth has decreased to two or three feet and these areas have created "a menace" for boaters. Read More