Choose a disaster that has occurred in the last 10 years (in the United States or internationally). Research the event online. Blog your report about the event specifically addressing the healthcare perspective. What were the barriers for providing and/or accessing healthcare? Who responded? How long did it go on? How did socioeconomics and environment impact the event and environment? Imagine being a healthcare provider during that event. Are we better prepared for the next disaster?

In 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake caused a huge tsunami and tremendous damage to northeastern Japan. In addition, the tsunami caused a cooling failure at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant which resulted in a nuclear meltdown and leak causing release of radioactive materials into the Pacific Ocean.

Although Japan was prepared for earthquakes, they were not prepared for the tsunami – which caused most of the damage and deaths. More than 18,000 people were killed in the disaster, mostly to drowning (Oskin, 2013).

The damage impacted the country’s utilities, transportation, and healthcare facilities. Electricity, water, and gas were cut off during the disaster and were not restored for coastal areas for up to one-four months after the disaster (inland areas were restored within 3 days) (Nohara, 2011). The rural coastal areas did not have public transport, and many of the roads were damaged or blocked making access to the disaster areas difficult. In addition, initial lack of gasoline made health and medical support activities difficult (Nohara, 2011). Three hospitals in the coastal areas had been completely destroyed and half of the other clinics/health facilities were damaged, adding to the difficulty of providing medical services. Fortunately, other hospitals designated for disaster base medical care were able to provide emergency care (triage, emergency response, and transport of patients to inland areas/hospitals). A total of 28 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs) were able to provide care from the day of the disaster (March 11, 2011) until July 2011.

References:

Nohara, M. (2011). Impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on health, medical care and public health systems in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, 2011. Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal, 2011, 2(4). doi: 10.5365/wpsar.2011.2.4.002.

Oskin, B. (2013). Japan earthquake & tusnami of 2011: facts and information. Retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html

Who knows about drugs?? Take an informal survey of family members, friends, or coworkers. Do they know the medications they take? If they don’t take medications, do they know about over the counter medications – drug/pharmacological/generic/brand names? Do they know the side effects and safe doses? What about homeopathic remedies and herbal medications? Let’s do some “close to home” education and see what happens! In class we can decide if you want to blog, voicethread, or just talk about what you found out…

Mom takes:

Glipizide (used to take Metformin) – “for my diabetes”

Simvastatin – “to control my cholesterol”

Amlodipine – “to manage my high blood pressure”

Cozaar (losartan) – “this is also for my high blood pressure”

My mom did a good job of telling me both the trade and generic names of her medications. She knew what each one was for, and even knew the actions of glipizide. However, she did not know the side effects of all her drugs. She said she’s never experienced any side effects, so she didn’t bother to look them up.

Dad takes:

Norco – “for shoulder pain” (he broke his arm and it gives him pain every once in a while)

Tramadol – “also for shoulder pain”

My dad knows the trade/generic names of the pain medications he takes, their pharmacological actions, the side effects, and safe doses. (He’s a healthcare provider and knows what’s up!)

Following this activity, I realized that my family is much more in tune with their medications and their indication for use because of my dad’s career as a healthcare provider. I work as a med tech at a retirement community and often find that many of the residents don’t really know what they are taking. Of course, they are on medication management because of their inability to manage their medication scheduling, or can’t remember to take their medications at all–but I feel that anyone taking medications should know what they are taking, what they’re for, and what side effects are associated with their medications (in case that these side effects affect normal activity). I’ve also known friends who would take Tylenol throughout the day, not realizing there is a suggested “not to exceed” or maximum dose per day due to its deleterious effects on the liver.

During my study abroad trip to Ireland this past winter, we were asked to go through the Irish pharmacies/drugstores and see how they were different from ours back in the US. We all immediately noticed that medications that were normally over the counter (like Tylenol, or Advil) were behind the counter, and required patient education from a pharmacist. I thought this was both weird and interesting, but coming back and thinking about it I realize the importance of patient education–even for OTC drugs.

Heart Health or Hype? Exploring the effect of diet trends on cardiovascular disease

This article looks at diet trends for cardiovascular health, mainly foods that are supposedly “especially good for the heart,” and find out whether they are heart healthy or hyped. I already knew that omega-3 fatty acids were heart healthy, but was surprised to hear about how the others affected cardiovascular health.

Cranberries – Heart healthy! Cranberries are rich in flavonoids which help reduce the oxidation of LDLs (bad one) which usually make up atherosclerotic plaques. They also help improve lipid profiles by increasing HDL and lowering LDL levels in the blood. Only a small amount is needed to get their good effects, so an occasional cranberry snack is good enough to be cardioprotective! Just make sure to get the fresh version.

Dark chocolate and cocoa – Heart healthy! Chocolate has a lot of catechins (which are flavanoid compounds) and procyanidins (another type of flavonoid). Like the same mechanism as mentioned above, they reduce the oxidation of LDLs and accumulation of plaque. Good to note though: you can’t just gorge on chocolate on top of your normal diet! If adding chocolate, there needs to be an elimination of an equivalent source of calories and maintenance of proper nutrition. Like the commercials say: EAT DARK CHOCOLATE! (part of a balanced, nutritional diet—shows a million vegetables and fruits)

Milk – Heart healthy! Although dairy contains CVD promoting fat and cholesterol, higher milk intake decreased incidence of diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, and weight gain (especially abdominal fat). Dairy foods regulate energy metabolism and have antihypertensive effects (peptides from lactic acid bacteria in milk inhibits ACE enzymes and endothelin release). Low fat, skim milk, and yogurt are good options for people who want to increase dairy consumption.

Omega-3 fatty acids – Heart healthy! Omega-3 fatty caids have antiatherogenic, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic effects – all contribute to prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Diet plays a huge role in cardiovascular health, and some foods do have more benefits than others. It’s important to remember that food alone cannot prevent heart disease but it does have the power to heal. Regular exercise on top of a balanced diet with some of these heart healthy foods can help maintain a healthy heart.