Faces of Influenza

There is an interesting website that really depicts the flu for what it is.. a dangerous life threatening disease.

Check out www.facesofinfluenza.org

It also has a lot of information about the flu as well as the vaccine! Make sure to get your flu shot!

Immunization Awareness

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Make sure your employees are properly protected with the right immunizations!

Flu Shots are In!

Total Wellness has flu vaccine in stock! All flu shot orders will also receive our online personal health assessment, a $3 - $5 value, per participant for free. Don't wait until it's too late!

What is the flu?

The flu (aka influenza) is a respiratory illness caused by a virus that is contagious. The virus can be lead to mild or severe illness, and sometimes cause death. Onset of symptoms usually appear suddenly. Most people who have the flu feel:

Cough

Fever or chills (not everyone will have a fever)

Sore throat

Runny/stuffy nose

Muscle aches

Fatigue

Vomiting (more common in children)

Diarrhea (more common in children)

Most people will recover in a few days or up to 2 weeks, but other complications can develop as a result of the flu. For example, pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus/ear infections can develop from the flu. Certain conditions may be triggered due to the flu. For example, individuals who have asthma may experience asthma attacks.

The flu spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets during coughs and sneezes. It may also be spread when a person touches a contaminated person or object and then touches their mouth or nose before washing their hands.

Most adults are contagious 1 day BEFORE symptoms develop and after 5-7 days AFTER becoming sick. Children will be contagious for longer than 7 days. Symptoms start 1-4 days after the virus enters the body. You can potentially pass the flu to someone else before you know you are sick. Some individuals may be infected but have no symptoms.

For more information on the flu you can contact your physician or visit the CDC’s flu website at www.cdc.gov/flu

Make sure to get your flu shot!

Biometric Screening, Now What?

Many corporations offer biometric screenings, but many don’t know what to do with the results. The results of biometric screenings show participants’ risk factors for major diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. When employers see the aggregate results for their company, many don’t know what to do with it. The common answer is a diet and exercise program or maybe even no program at all. My question to you is, what about the employee? An employee who is not empowered over the decisions being made about their health is less likely to participate in a wellness program. My answer to you is an employee interest survey.

An employee interest survey, as it’s name would state, asks the employee what they are interested in and what they would participate in. By having the employee tell you what they will or will not participate in helps you tailor your program not only to their needs but also to their wants.

It’s easy to tell a person to run 30 minutes a day and eat fruits and vegetables. Sounds simple to some, but to most it’s not. By forcing someone to do something that they don’t like, they are going to really dislike the purpose. If you force someone to run for 30 minutes and they really don’t like it, they will most likely not be interested in being healthy. If getting a company group to go play league volleyball will get someone up and moving more than telling them to go run for 30 minutes, then why not do it? Return on investment will greatly increase if you tailor your programming to your employees’ interests.

For example of an employee interest survey go to

http://www.healthysd.gov/Workplace/PDF/EmployeeInterestSurvey.pdf

Increasing ROI through Biometric Screenings

Many companies don’t offer biometric screenings for their wellness programs. The concept of wellness to them is diet and exercise. What if it’s not? What if wellness is not only leading a healthy life but being aware of your current health status. How can you lead a healthy life if you don't know what you need to work on?

By offering a biometric screening to your employees you will help them understand their current health status. Not only can you invest your money into programming that is tailored to your employee’s needs, but you will also be empowering them to take part in their health.

Showing an employee their health scores will help them be more proactive about their health. Employees who are more proactive about their health will implement healthy activities in their life and end up preventing diseases rather than treating diseases. By preventing the disease in the first place, employers will save money on health care costs, lost productivity and absenteeism.

Jump-start your company’s wellness program by scheduling a biometric screening. For more information on scheduling a biometric screening go to http://www.totalwellnesshealth.com/hfa/?Health-Screenings or call 888.434.4358.