Category Archives: Health and Wellness

This One Is Just for Fun

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Given the nature of what we do, it’s no surprise that everyone at Dobies Healthcare Group has at least two personality traits in common: our penchants for creativity and our competitive spirits.

Both factored in during our fourth annual holiday scavenger hunt earlier this month, when we took half a day to “unleash our creative potential” – something we do at work every day, but this time we took it to the streets of Kansas City. Together with our associates at Group 3 Solutions, we ventured out in teams, each one armed with a camera, a charitable donation, and a healthy determination to have fun and finish first.

  • Task 1: Find your creative voice. To prepare the final touches for our annual white elephant gift exchange, team members were asked to create holiday cards with “sappy sentiments” and original artwork. It’s always fun to see the range of directions we take with an assignment like this, especially when we’re given crayons and construction paper as our art tools. Nothing helps ring in holiday cheer quite like the festive decor of Hallmark, so we tapped the talents of our inner children at “CC@CC” – the Crayola Cafe at Crown Center.
  • Task 2: Create a lifeline for those in need. At Dobies Healthcare Group, we believe it’s important to give back to the community all year long. But this time of year – when cold and loneliness have greater repercussions on the health and well-being of the less fortunate in our area – we like to create a special event for it. Teams were sent to Project Warmth KC headquarters and City Union Mission to drop off blankets and monetary donations. Although it may not provoke as many laughs, this is always our favorite part of the scavenger hunt.
  • Task 3: Explore the creative vision of an architectural icon. While some of us admired “the old” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, others marveled at “the new” – the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The latter recently changed our downtown skyline, and both buildings helped put Kansas City on Frommer’s Top 10 Destinations in 2012.
  • Task 4: Join in a creative holiday toast. It’s fun to break away into teams at the start, but it’s even more fun to come back together as a group for the end. To show our support for local small business, we capped off the festivities with some “artful frozen cocktails” and Snow & Co. in the Kansas City Crossroads District.

As always when we’re having a blast, time flew by and soon the day was done. Funny…the same thing happens every day at the office, too – just goes to show how much we love what we do here at Dobies Healthcare Group.

To view pictures from our scavenger hunt and more, visit us on facebook. Happy Holidays!

The Internet Says I Have WHAT?!

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We’ve all done it:

We suffer from a sniffle that lasts a bit longer than usual and we’re off to a search engine to self-diagnose our mystery illness. Depending on the search results (and our levels of persistence and paranoia), either we are comforted that we’ve simply contracted the common cold…or we’re convinced that we’ve developed a CSF leak and the fluid that surrounds our brain is escaping through our nose!

Those of us who believe the second diagnosis are likely falling victim to cyberchondria:

“… the unfounded escalation of concerns about common symptomatology, based on the review of search results and literature on the Web.”

And as health content on the Web continues to grow, we risk becoming cyberchondriacs with every Google or Bing search query.

To help curb cases of cyberchondria, some believe it is the responsibility of the search engines to provide results the public can trust. While I agree the search engines play a role, I believe the solution begins with healthcare marketers and Web writers. We have the responsibility to work with physicians, nurses and other medical professionals to produce complete, accurate and understandable information for the search engines to deliver to the online community. Studies show this kind of quality information is not always available for certain conditions, which leads medical experts to warn against relying too much on the Internet for education.

Ultimately, however, it falls to healthcare consumers to do their part.  While it is important to be vigilant advocates for our health and make an effort to educate ourselves, we must be prudent in our research, both online and off, and remember to balance our findings with the first-hand opinions of medical professionals.

Facebooking for Better Health

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Despite having more than 400 million active users, Facebook still has its skeptics. Some common complaints I’ve heard:

  • “It’s a waste of time!”
  • “Who needs an update on what I’m eating for lunch?”
  • “Why do I need to be a Fan of anything?”

Okay, sure. My status updates aren’t always riveting or note-worthy (see: “Dear Coffee, Marry me. Xoxo, Kelly”) and I’m not ashamed to say I “like” a Fan Page called “I Don’t Feel Like Folding My Laundry So I Just Restart The Dryer.”

But while I’m not alone in using the Status Update and Fan Page for innocuous fun, some people are using these basic Facebook features to help improve their health…and even save their own lives.

Like this guy, who decided to quit smoking and inadvertently created a support group among his Facebook friends simply by updating his status with the number of days he’d been smoke free. As his friends followed his progress, they “liked” his status as the number of days increased and left comments of encouragement when his updates expressed wavering resolve. Having a virtual audience to not only hold him accountable but also to offer him support no doubt helped contribute to his continued success.

Then there’s the woman who iused Facebook to help her find a kidney donor. Living in a state that ranks among the nation’s lowest in percentage of licensed drivers who are registered organ donors, she got creative and set up a Page called “Mel Needs a Kidney.” As of the end of May, she had heard from about 100 people who offered to get tested to see if they were a match. In addition to increasing her chances of finding a donor, her efforts are also helping raise awareness of organ donation and registration in Michigan.

So while it’s true many Facebook users limit their activities to tending virtual farms or tagging friends in party photos, there are some who are using the platform to improve their lives. And that’s something I’ll “like” any day.

Super-Size Your Weight Loss Efforts

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Online program provides incentives to get healthy.Now that we’re a full month into 2010, I wonder how many people have given up their New Year’s resolution to get healthy and fit. After seeing a story on television about an incentive-based weight loss website, I was curious to learn if they had discovered a new way to help people stay on track. Turns out, Healthywage.com helps people make healthy choices – and the best part is they reward those who succeed!

After analyzing each participant’s health history, goals and preferences, Healthywage.com designs a personalized health program that includes weight loss goals, nutritional information and guidelines, and overall wellness goals. There is no cost to participate at the basic level, but those who want to enhance their motivation and super-size their reward can choose to invest $150 or $400. Those who reach their annual goal by following the proposed program and program rules receive up to $1,000 depending on their investment. How cool is that?

From a marketing perspective, the new website’s late January launch is perfectly timed to capture the attention of those who have lost interest in their weight-loss resolution. Sometimes, timing (and now, reward) is everything. What a great way to get healthy and fit!

Getting the Message: Using Texts to Encourage Healthy Habits

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Text Messages Can Improve Healthy HabitsIn 2009, the potential negative consequences of text messaging became a dominant hot topic in tech news.  From the dangers of texting while driving (or even walking!) to the serious implications facing teens who send explicit photos via cell phone, it might seem like this convenient method of communication has been causing more harm than good.

Thankfully, however, some have discovered ways to harness the positive power of the text message.  For example, researchers in New York have discovered that sending medication reminders via text message to young liver transplant patients can improve the rate of adherence thus reducing the chance of organ rejection.  Another study found that people were more likely to wear sunscreen if they received a daily text message reminding them to do so.  And public health programs in California are using text messages to educate teens and young adults about STDs and sexual health.  We’ve even recommended the use of texting to help our clients reach out to Gen Y moms-to-be.

As texting continues to grow in popularity (an estimated 4.1 BILLION text messages are sent/received EVERY DAY, double the number from 2008), I’m hopeful we’ll find more and more ways to use this simple, low-cost technology to encourage healthy habits.

Stairway to Better Health

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Stairway to Better HealthWhen you see a really good idea, you absolutely have to share it with everyone you know.  It used to be that we’d simply email a cool link to our friends and colleagues, but this one is worth talking about.

My hat is off to Volkswagen and thefuntheory.com.  From pianos to pinball, they have collected some great ideas to inspire healthy behaviors.

For all of my clients with offices on the second floor or higher, let this be an inspiration to you to use the stairs.  At a minimum, consider equipping your stairways to health to help fight obesity by giving it a fresh coat of paint.  Hang some artwork, include an inspirational message or two.  Maybe install Wii Fit stations on a landing, or wire up a video board so employees can compete with one another on the number of trips up the steps.   Please add to the list of possibilities by posting a comment.

America’s Sweet Tooth Leads to Bitter Consequences

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Keeping tabs on our daily sugar intake could help reduce obesity rates.Did you know that the average American adult eats 22 teaspoons (355 calories) of sugar a day?  And the average teen consumes 34 teaspoons a day? This doesn’t include any of the natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables. 

These are startling statistics – and no doubt a contributor to the skyrocketing obesity rate in the United States.  In fact, Colorado is the only state that has an obesity rate less than 20%. Obesity can eventually lead to hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer, totaling to about $95 billion a year in medical spending. 

Will healthcare reform’s preventive programs and focus on wellness help Americans cut back and live healthier?  How do we begin to reverse the trends?

Well to start, we are what we eat. The American Heart Association recently published guidelines  about how much sugar we should consume per day.  Women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons or 100 calories of sugar a day compared to 9 teaspoons or 150 calories for men. 

Even small changes to our diet can make a difference. For example, eliminating one 12-ounce can of soda per day means cutting out 130+ calories (8 teaspoons of sugar) and losing 13 pounds per year. Imagine if we cut out that extra cookie or chocolate bar? We could be on the road to optimal health!

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

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istock_000003679023xsmall_cropMay is finally here!  No more cold and snowy weather. It’s time for fun in the sun with outdoor barbeques, weekends at the lake, gardening and a host of other outdoor activities.

But before you step outside, is your skin protected?

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is by far the most commonly diagnosed cancer here in the U.S. But there are some guidelines you can follow to help reduce your risk.

So remember to take a few minutes each day to protect your skin and if you’ve never had a screening, get one on the calendar. I’ve got mine scheduled…do you?

How’s Your Heart?

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A few years ago, I worked on an ad campaign that educated women about heart disease. During this process, I met some great women with incredible survival stories. It was an eye-opening experience for me, and it inspired me to become an advocate. Now, I tell everyone and anyone who will listen about heart disease in women because it’s very important to become proactive in your heart health rather than reactive.

The statistics of heart disease are staggering! Nearly twice as many women die from heart disease and stroke than from all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer. Why? Because most women ignore the signs or don’t know what signs to look for. The symptoms of heart disease are very different for women than they are for men. Many women don’t have the crushing chest pain like you see in the movies. Instead, women may have nausea, back pain or even heartburn.

To learn more, visit www.hearthealth4women.org and pass it on!