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Your Health, edition 21Welcome to Your Health, an audio program from Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin. Wherever you are located, we want to help you and your loved ones stay healthy. I'm Neal Linkon, Aurora's manager of Web communications, and we'd sure love to hear from you. Let us know what's on your mind at internet@aurora.org. In this edition, we'll go to the mailbag and answer some listener's questions. We'll find out if it's true that being exposed to this cold and wet weather can make you sick. And as long as we're on that theme, we'll talk about colds, and what you can do about them. One question we've received a couple of times is about the cost of health care. And it's an issue we're very sensitive about. After all, we have 26,000 employees, and we're self-insured. That means we pay for our own employee's cost of health care. So as those costs rise, it affects our business, just like it does for any other business. But there's some very good news on cost to share that's probably not widely known in our community. Working together, businesses and health care systems here in Milwaukee have made significant progress in lowering health care costs over recent years and costs are moving consistently closer to the Midwest average. While we are still slightly above this average, there's no longer a great difference reported from data that is now 7 years old. This positive progress must continue. We are absolutely committed to reducing the cost of care for our patients and their employers. Employing efficiency and productivity tools like Six Sigma and Lean, we have been able to take significant costs out of our own operations. One of the important benefits of providing integrated health care is reduced cost. Since our founding, we have built Aurora to be the only truly integrated health care system in Wisconsin. We are not a hospital system. In fact, only 1/3 of the care we provide is in a hospital setting. We are moving care out into the community, where our patients can easily access what they need – clinics, pharmacies, home health care, even hospice. And we are uniquely positioned to coordinate each patient's care across the continuum. It's becoming increasing clear that our model of integrated care is successfully making care better and more cost effective for our patients. For example, a benchmark study of 2005 data showed that Aurora Health Care's costs as compared to the other major health systems in the Milwaukee area were only 1% higher than the community average. Analysis of data available for 2006, notes that the trend continues and Aurora's costs had moved below the community average. We're absolutely committed to continuing those positive trends. As we listen carefully to the concerns of business and community leaders and our patients, we'll continue to relentlessly pursue ways to improve care for the people we serve. The goal is accessible, quality, affordable care. But that's not the only thing we hear about costs from our patients. They want to know how much their service is going to cost. And we think that's a reasonable request. In many parts of eastern Wisconsin, if you are coming in for a test or a procedure, you are likely to get a call from Aurora informing you of the probably cost, and how much you will owe out of pocket. That's been pretty well received, even if some people still get a good case of sticker shock. They'd rather know up front. If you don't get that call, or are just curious, you can always contact the hospital or clinic where you are being seen, and the staff there can walk you through the costs. The struggle, however, continues to be that we aren't like cars. We can give you an estimate, but if the situation changes or is much more serious than we anticipated, there may not be time to safely call somebody to authorize the additional work. So whatever estimate you get before you come in, there's always that chance that the final price will be different. I hope that helps a little bit. If you have more questions about health care costs, please either drop us a line at internet@aurora.org, or go to www.Aurora.org/costs. “Don't go out with that wet hair!” Most of us heard this advice growing up, from a parent or someone who insisted that exposure to cold weather or a sudden chill could cause us to catch a cold, or worse! In truth, it is bacteria and viruses--not the weather--that cause infections such as the common cold , the flu or pneumonia . Why then, do so many people seem to get sick in the cold, wet months of fall and winter? While it may not be the weather itself, the cold seasons that keep many of us inside are associated with an increased risk of developing an infection. There is no doubt that respiratory infections such as colds and the flu occur more often during the fall and winter months. The government's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases proposes that the reason for this may have to do with the opening of schools and the tendency for people to stay inside around others during colder seasons. Both of these factors increase the opportunity for viruses and, less often, bacteria to spread among people. Additionally, some studies have shown that stressful conditions, including exposure to cold weather, make animals more susceptible to being infected with a variety of bacteria and viruses. These studies, which have so far been conducted primarily on mice, suggest that exposure to severe chilling may suppress the immune response, making it harder for the animals to fight infections. Some doctors have even theorized that low levels of vitamin D in your system make you more susceptible to colds and the like. And since we're outside less, and see the sun less, during the winter months, we don't get as much vitamin D as we do during the spring and summer. Finally, the relatively low humidity in colder months may increase the risk of getting certain infections. For instance, the most common cold-causing viruses survive better in low-humidity environments, which are more common in the fall and winter. It has also been proposed that cold weather may dry out the inside lining of your nose, making it more susceptible to penetration by a virus. It is clear that viruses and bacteria--not cold or wet weather--cause infections. Viruses and bacteria are often transmitted from person-to-person by inhaling them in the form of air droplets (from a sneeze or cough) or touching contaminated skin or surfaces, and then touching the eyes or nose. There is no evidence that humans can get a cold or other infection from exposure to cold weather, or from getting chilled or overheated. When scientists placed cold viruses directly into the noses of study participants before either exposing them to cold temperatures or not, they failed to find any connection between cold exposure and susceptibility to infection with common cold viruses. How would you like to have been in that study? And a review in the December 2002 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise concluded that there is no scientific support for the concept that exposure to moderately cold temperatures depresses immune function in humans. Of course, prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperature can lead to a condition called hypothermia , which may result in numerous health effects. But you didn't need me to tell you that. While being exposed to cold, wet weather, in and of itself, will not cause you to contract infections, your chance of developing a cold or the flu does increase in the winter months. So, that fashionable wool scarf your mom made you wear to school? No reason for it (except perhaps to annoy you). The best way to avoid an infection is to limit your exposure to the viruses and bacteria that cause them, irrespective of the weather. This means staying away from infected people, keeping your hands away from your eyes and nose, washing your hands often (especially during the cold season), and cleaning surfaces that may be infected with bacteria or viruses with a disinfectant. Viruses cause colds, and no medicine or "shot" will cure an uncomplicated cold. And colds are usually not serious. Most patients with colds do not need to be seen by a doctor. Rarely colds can lead to more serious illnesses such as sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. Elderly persons and individuals with a weakened immune system (due to chemotherapy, being HIV positive, or the regular use of steroid medications) are at higher risk of developing these complications. If you have a cold and also have severe difficulty breathing, which means you are struggling for each breath or unable to speak, or you're very weak, and can't stand up, you should probably call 911. Call your doctor night or day if you have difficulty breathing, and it's not from a blocked or stuffy nose, or if you have a fever of 103 or higher. Call your doctor if you have a fever of 100.5 or higher and you Are over 60 years of age Have diabetes mellitus or a weakened immune system Are bedridden, such as a nursing home patient, if you've had a stroke, suffer from a chronic illness or are recovering from surgery Call your doctor the next business day if you have an earache or cloudy discharge from either ear canal, if you have yellow or green eye discharge, if there's lots of yellow or green nasal discharge present for more than 3 days, if you have sinus pain or pressure that persists for more than 24 hours despite nasal washes and pain medications, or if you have a fever for more than 3 days. Also call your doctor if the fever returns after being gone for more than 24 hours, if the nasal congestion interferes with sleep after using nasal washes several times, or if the nasal discharge is present for more than 10 days. So what can you do to feel better? If you have a severely blocked nose, try nasal washes.
Drink plenty of liquids -- 6-8 glasses of water -- daily. If the air in your home is dry, using a cool mist humidifier can help a lot. Most "cold" medicines are not helpful. They can't remove dried mucus from the nose. Antihistamines are only helpful if you also have nasal allergies. Antibiotics are not helpful unless you develop an ear or sinus infection. For pain and fever relief, take acetaminophen every 4-6 hours (Adults 650 mg) or ibuprofen every 6-8 hours (Adults 400 mg). Do not take ibuprofen if you have stomach problems, kidney disease, are pregnant, or have been told by your doctor to avoid this type of anti-inflammatory drug. Do not take ibuprofen for more than 7 days without consulting your doctor. Do not take acetaminophen if you have liver disease. Research studies have reported that zinc lozenges reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms. You can get zinc lozenges over the counter at your pharmacy. Begin taking them within 48 hours of the start of the cold. Dissolve one in your mouth every 4 hours while awake, and do that for 3 days. Some people complain of nausea and a bad taste in their mouth when they take zinc, so beware. If you have a sore throat with your cold, throat lozenges, hard candy or warm chicken broth can help. Cough drops can help ease a cough. The cold virus is present in your nasal secretions. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough. Wash your hands frequently. You can return to work or school after the fever is gone and you feel well enough to participate in normal activities. Typically with most colds, the fever may last 2-3 days, nasal discharge 7-10 days, and cough up to 2-3 weeks. Remember to call your doctor if you have:
And you can always try my grandmother's cold remedy. It's guaranteed to get rid of your cold in 2-3 weeks! To learn more or to get help with other common illnesses and injuries, go to www.Aurora.org/HouseCalls. Thanks for joining us for this edition of Your Health. I hope it was useful in some small way. If we can help you in any other way, please drop us an email at internet@aurora.org. I'm Neal Linkon, and thanks for listening! To listen to this podcast
Your Health, Edition 21 (13:08)
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