🧸 Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month

Honoring Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month

When we hear the word “arthritis,” the image that might spring to mind is elderly people hunched over, hands crabbed with painful lumps. Arthritis is not a condition reserved for the elderly. Over 300,000 kids in the U.S. suffer from juvenile arthritis, and July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month. This month is set aside annually to raise awareness and support for children and families affected by this debilitating condition, as well as to raise money for research and study.

🧒What is juvenile arthritis? 

Juvenile arthritis is not quite the same as arthritis experienced by older people. There are several types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA, previously referred to as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA):

• Systemic onset JIA: The rarest form of JIA, system onset JIA makes up only 10-20% of juvenile arthritis cases. It generally appears between the ages of five and ten and affects the entire body, including pain in all joints and a rash on the body. This is also referred to as “Still’s disease,” named after the doctor who first diagnosed this illness.
• Olioarticular JIA: This type of juvenile arthritis impacts fewer than five joints.
• Polyarticular JIA: “Poly” means many, and this type causes pain, redness, and swelling in more than five joints.
• Enthesitis-related JIA: This type of juvenile arthritis impacts boys more than girls and begins usually between the ages of eight and 15. Swelling and pain in the tendons and ligaments restricts range of motion to varying degrees, depending on the severity.
• Psoriatic arthritis: This type of arthritis is not restricted to children only. Initial diagnosis may be of psoriasis, a skin condition that causes patchy, flaky skin and may progress to joint pain and inflammation.

Unlike most adult forms of arthritis that are caused by wear and tear or joint degeneration and inflammation, juvenile arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. Children do not have fully formed immune systems, and their bodies begin to attack the joints, causing swelling, inflammation, and pain. Kids as young as six months can exhibit symptoms of JIA, and the initial severity of the disease, along with the number of joints affected, often predicts if total remission will be achievable.

🧒Who is at risk?

Some children test positive for a genetic link that may cause juvenile arthritis, but others who have the same gene may not develop this condition. Some types of juvenile arthritis are more common in one gender than the other, but there are no other particular risk factors for this disease. It is almost as if a momentary lapse in the development of the immune system happens at just the right time under the right conditions for the disease to take hold. There is some indication that certain viruses may trigger this autoimmune disorder, but research is still unclear.

🧸What are the symptoms of juvenile arthritis?

The most prevalent symptom for most types of juvenile arthritis is pain and swelling in the joints of the body. Psoriatic arthritis often presents initially as a rash, followed soon thereafter by pain in the joints.

Other symptoms include:

• Decreased range of motion in joints
• Limping after getting up from a nap or after sitting for long periods of time
• Stiffness first thing in the morning

Very young children may not be able to articulate what exactly hurts and where, so they may have behavioral symptoms such as fussiness, crying, or irritability that goes beyond age-appropriate levels of those behaviors. Some children may also develop a fever. If these symptoms persist for more than a week, it’s time to see a doctor.

🧸How is juvenile arthritis treated?

A first-line treatment of juvenile arthritis is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, but these can cause stomach and liver problems when taken long term. Doctors may prescribe disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in conjunction with NSAIDs to help slow the progress of the disease. Biologic agents such as etanercept (Enbrel) and adalimumab (Humira) can help reduce swelling and stiffness in the morning but have been found to increase the chances of some types of cancers. Doctors may also try to suppress the immune response with biologic agents such as abatacept (Orencia), rituximab (Rituxin), anakinra (Kineret), and tocilizumab (Actemra).

Corticosteroids can be used to control dangerous inflammation during the time it takes DMARDs to take effect, but they are not a long-term solution for children.

Physical therapy may be used in conjunction with splints or braces to correctly position growing joints that may be moved out of place by swelling and inflammation. In extreme cases, surgery to properly position the joint may be recommended.

Complementary therapies such as eating well and staying active should be part of a treatment plan. Children should get plenty of calcium-rich foods and stay away from processed foods that can exacerbate inflammation. Exercise to keep joints fluid and mobile is an essential part of managing juvenile arthritis.

Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month offers many different ways for family and friends of those suffering from JIA to get involved.

If you or someone you love suffers from juvenile arthritis, what actions will you take to spread the word and build awareness this month?

Blogger: Egypt Assanti
{aka} Big Sister Southern Heat
ESD Baroness 🧸

NATIONAL BEAUTIFICATION DAY

                                           IT'S NATIONAL BEAUTIFICATION DAY

This year we celebrate National Beautification Day June 26th, 2019. This is the day that communities and schools gather volunteers to plant trees, plants and flowers to beautify parks and school grounds in their city.It is a great way for people to meet each other, make friends, and get to know their community. I myself have volunteered to do this a few years in a row with my son during his cub scouts. My son and I had a lot of fun and I even learned a few things about planting, we also got the satisfaction of knowing that the trees in our near by park  are there because of us! We had bonds with the group of people we worked with and sense of contribution to our community.

Fun Facts:

- Beautification:is the process of making visual improvements to a town, city, or urban area. This most often involves planting trees, shrubbery, and other greenery, but frequently also includes adding decorative or historic-style street lights and other lighting and replacing broken pavement, often with brick or other natural materials. Old-fashioned cobblestones are sometimes used for crosswalks; they provide the additional benefit of slowing motorists.

- The Laurel Hill Association of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, founded in 1853, is the oldest incorporated village beautification society in the United States. The Memphis City Beautiful Commission, the oldest city beautification project in the United States, was established in 1930.

- Beautification projects are often undertaken by city councils to refurbish their downtown areas, in order to boost tourism or other commerce. Often, this is also spurred by broken sidewalks, which pose a safety hazard for pedestrians and potentially insurmountable obstacles for wheelchair users. These projects are frequently part of other larger projects such as construction, especially in conjunction with ones for transit, such as streets and roads and mass transit.

Blogger : Dr. Sugababy Brite aka Big Sis Keep It 100

                Duchess of Eta Sigma Delta

🌈🏳️‍🌈ᒪGᗷT ᑭᖇIᗪE ᗰOᑎTᕼ🌈🏳️‍🌈

This is the month we rock our rainbows with PRIDE. June is LGBTQ Pride Month, which means Americans around the country should expect some colorful marches throughout the month as people make a stand for equality.

If you didn't know, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. 

The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. 

Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposium and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. 

The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated October as LGBT History Month. In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list of commemorative months.

LGBT History Month is also celebrated with annual month-long observances of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, along with the history of the gay rights and related civil rights movements. National Coming Out Day (October 11), as well as the first “March on Washington” in 1979, are commemorated in the LGBT community during LGBT History Month, as told by https://www.loc.gov/lgbt/about.html

I tried to get some people to tell me about them and their plans for Pride, I received 2 responses but that's okay, I hope someone get inspired by the lovely people here that gave us a glance...

𝕆𝕣𝕚𝕪𝕒 𝕋𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕓𝕒 𝕌𝕜𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕚

Destiny: What does LGBTQ month mean to you? 

Oriya Tituba Ukweli: It is a time to celebrate the diversity of being LGBTQ and to show the world that we are about more than what they imagine that we do in our bedrooms

Destiny: How do you plan to celebrate it? 

Oriya Tituba Ukweli: In RL, I'll be attending and performing at several of the pride celebration and in SL I'll be attending several of the pride events.

Destiny: What are some things you want people to know about the LGBTQ community as a whole? 

Oriya Tituba Ukweli: I want them to know that we are not things to be placed in categories or stereotypes. We are so much more than some believe or imagine. And that if they don't know by all means ask before assumptions are made. We are no different than those who are not LGBTQ...we work, play, raise children, have families, pay bills, cry. laugh sing and dance, etc and put on our pant/panties one leg at a time like everybody else...we just love differently.

Destiny: Thanks Oriya! 

ℝ𝕀𝔸ℕℕ 𝕄𝕆ℝ𝔾𝔸ℕ

Destiny: What does LGBTQ month mean to you? 

Riann: LGBTQ means that America has finally recognized that we are humans too and not aliens. I take great pride and knowing that I don't have to hide, I can be free and be me without the backlash. Don't get me wrong there will still be people that believe what they believe and that's fine just don't disrespect me and I won't disrespect you. 

Destiny: How do you plan to celebrate it? 

Riann:  I have gone to different events and just partied to be honest. But more importantly reflect on how far this as come. 

Destiny: What are some things you want people to know about the LGBTQ community as a whole? 

Riann:  I want people to know that we ARE people just like everyone else. We bleed the same and we love the same. You can't help who you love. Love is Love at the end of the day and a heterosexual love is no more great than a homosexual, or bisexual love. Think about it.

Destiny: Thanks Riann! 

𝔻𝔼𝕊𝕋𝕀ℕ𝕐 𝕁𝕆𝔽𝔽𝔼ℝ-𝔻𝔸𝕍𝕀𝕊 𝕄𝔻

As for me, I believe The LGBT community often gets frowned upon without people realizing that it's all human beings. Who you fall in love with is who you fall in love with. No one have the right to judge unless they have no skeletons or anything growing in their own backyards. 

People have been saying where have our world come to when LGBT marriage was legalized but, that isn't anything bad. The rights for two human beings to wed because their love is REAL, where is the harm is that? Love has no gender, love have no face, Love is Love, there is no hatred in that.

If you are a lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender or whatever, do not let others dictate your life and how you live it. We get one life to live and you get to live it the way you choose. Having a attraction to someone that hits your soul is never wrong. Love who you love without worrying about who is watching!

Love has no bounds and no limits. People really do need to open up their minds and hearts because this is the world we live in. It is much easier to love someone then to hate them for their nationality, skin color, orientation or anything for that matter that makes them different from you. Continue to celebrate LGBT Pride month for the living as well as the lives that were lost. ALL LIVES MATTER!

Let's stand together! Let's stand in unity! 

Signing out...
Big Sister On Point 
             aka Destiny Joffer-Davis MD

**National Selfie Day**

June 21 is National Selfie Day. Whether you take selfies for your own personal use or to send to friends or post on social media, selfies are a great way to present yourself to the world and ask: what am I trying to say about myself? The front facing camera was introduced in 2010, and nearly all new smartphones introduced since have offered the same design, making selfies a breeze. . For National Selfie Day, snap a selfie and show the world how you get ya selfie on!!!!

From the Sisters of Eta Sigma Delta....HAPPY NATIONAL SELFIE DAY!!!!!!!
Until next time, take care of yourself and each other

Christy Sparrowhawk

⛑️National Safety Month

Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in our homes and communities. We provide downloadable resources highlighting a different safety topic for each week in June. Topics for 2019 are Hazard Recognition, Slips, Trips and Falls, Fatigue and Impairment.

Each week throughout National Safety Month in June is an opportunity to make a difference in your home, work, and community.

Identifying risks around the home or improving safety standards at home and in your community protects everyone. Whether we increase first aid and emergency awareness through drills or provide water safety tips for summer recreation, we’re taking steps to provide a safer neighborhood.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Get involved!

• Report repairs as they are needed
• Hold drills at home to help children know what to do in the even of
  • fire
  • tornado
  • medical event
  • another natural disaster
• Volunteer to participate in community emergency preparedness events
• Put together a first aid kit
• Take a CPR class
• Teach someone to change a tire properly and safely
• Learn about proper storage and disposal of medications
• Take a defensive driving course
• Learn how to identify fall hazards in a home

Visit the National Safety Council website for tips and resources and use #NationalSafetyMonth to share on social media.

HISTORY

The National Safety Council promotes National Safety Month annually.  

There are over 1,500 national days. Don’t miss a single one. Celebrate Every Day® with National Day Calendar

noun, plural safe·ties.

the state of being safe; freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.

the quality of averting or not causing injury, danger, or loss.

a contrivance or device to prevent injury or avert danger.

Also called lock, safety catch, safety lock. a locking or cutoff device that prevents a gun frombeing fired accidentally.

the action of keeping safe.

Football.

1. an act or play in which a player on the offensive team is tackled in his own end zone ordowns the ball there, or in which the ball goes out of bounds on a fumble, having last beenin bounds in or over the end zone and having last been in the possession of an offensiveplayer.Compare touchback.
2. an award of two points to the opposing team on this play.
3. Also called safety man. a player on defense who lines up farthest behind the line ofscrimmage.

Baseball. a base hit, especially a one-base hit.

Slang. a condom.

Obsolete. close confinement or custody.

Here’s the Top 10 Workplace Safety Tips Every Employee Should Know to help you inform your own workers and create a workplace safety environment based on shared responsibility:

1) Be Aware Of Your Surroundings

This step requires knowing the particular hazards of your job or workplace. Once you’ve learned these risks, you are able to keep clear of potential hazardous areas, and potential hazardous situations. Also, always be alert of machinery.

2) Keep Correct Posture To Protect Your Back

If you work at a desk, keep your shoulders in line with your hips to avoid back problems. If you’re picking things up, use correct form so your back doesn’t get hurt. Avoid stooping and twisting. If possible, always use ergonomic designed furniture and safety equipment so everything you need is within easy reach.

3) Take Regular Breaks

So many work-related injuries and illnesses occur because a worker is tired, burned out and not alert to their surroundings. Taking regular breaks helps you stay fresh on the job. One trick to staying alert is to schedule the most difficult tasks when your concentration is best, like first thing in the morning.

4) Use Tools And Machines Properly

Take the proper precautions when using tools, and never take shortcuts. Taking shortcuts is one of the leading cause of workplace injury. It’s a huge safety risk to use scaffolding as a ladder or one tool in place of another for a specific job. Using tools the right way greatly reduces the chance of workplace injury.

5) Keep Emergency Exits Easily Accessible         

In case of an emergency, you’ll need quick, easy access to the exits. It’s also recommended to keep clear access to equipment shutoffs in case you need to quickly stop them from functioning.

6) Report Unsafe Conditions To Your Supervisor

Your supervisor needs to be informed about any workplace safety hazards or risks. They are legally obligated to ensure their employees have a safe working environment and will take care of the unsafe conditions and make them safe for you and your coworkers.

7) Use Mechanical Aids Whenever Possible

Instead of attempting to carry or lift something that’s really heavy in an attempt to save a sliver of time during your workday, take the extra minute to use a wheelbarrow, conveyor belt, crank or forklift. Too many injury risks are involved with trying to lift something that weighs too much.

8) Stay Sober

Around three percent of workplace fatalities occur due to alcohol and drugs. When a worker’s ability to exercise judgment, coordination, motor control, concentration or alertness is compromised, this leads to any number of risks for workplace injury and fatalities.

9) Reduce Workplace Stress

Stress can lead to depression and concentration problems. Common causes of workplace stress include long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and conflicts with coworkers or managers. Take your concerns about workplace stress to your supervisor to see how they might help you address them.

10) Wear The Correct Safety Equipment

If you’re not wearing the correct safety equipment for a task, you may get injured. Depending on the job, equipment like earplugs, earmuffs, hard hats, safety goggles, gloves or a full-face mask greatly reduce the risk of workplace injury.

It’s up to facility managers and business owners to get their employees onboard with workplace safety efforts, encouraging them to become active members in the process. Share with them the workplace injury statistics and the inherent risks their job presents to them on a daily basis. Provide incentives that reward them for exemplifying great workplace safety behavior. These simple initiatives really do make all of the difference.

Make 2017 your safest year ever. See how Arbill can help you reduce injuries and reach your safety goals this year. Call 800-523-5367 or speak to an Arbill Safety Expert today.

TOPICS: safety, safety training, workplace injury, safety equipment, workplace illness, workplace safety,workplace fatalities, back injury, safety standards, work-related injuries, workplace stress

1. Use tools and machines properly

• Always make sure that you know how to use tools or machinery correctly.  If you are not comfortable with any equipment do not operate it until you have further training! Accidents can quickly happen when something is not a familiar item.  Common issues include using the wrong tool for a task or creating an unsafe environment while not correctly using heavy equipment.

2. Be aware of your surroundings

• Check your surroundings and make sure they are up to standards.  If there are preventable measures to take, always check those are intact, such as certain marks on equipment.  A tool like the Security Check Paint Marker is great for making sure that equipment is stable and safe for use.

3. Be safe in the cold weather

• Working outside means watching out for harsh weather! Be mindful of extreme temperatures and in this current winter weather, keep your skin protected. 

4.  Follow procedure, don’t take shortcuts

• Trying to take shortcuts to save time or money can possibly cause a procedure to be done the wrong way.  In the end it may cost the company more time and money either in the short or long run.  Always follow correct procedures as they are being held in place for a reason, if you see a beneficial shortcut speak with a supervisor first.

5.  Wear your protective gear

• It is important to always wear protective gear where it is required.  Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes items like hard hats, goggles, shoes and gloves that are vital to staying safe in certain work environments.  The reasons to wear this gear can vary from job to job; make sure to always wear everything that is necessary.

6.  If you see unsafe conditions, let a supervisor know

• Being aware of your surroundings means you may spot unsafe conditions in a work environment.  If you spot unsafe work areas make sure to make this known to a supervisor or corresponding personnel.  Marking items or machinery with appropriate tools can help bring possible hazards to attention.  Marking tools such as Valve Action Paint Markers or even more specified tools like Tempilabels  to measure temperatures can be great help.

7.  Take breaks

• Long periods of time without proper breaks can lead to a decrease in focus or alertness.  This can possibly also cause a loss in productivity; make sure you are taking regular breaks within your work day.

8.  Stay sober

• Drugs or alcohol cause a huge difference in productivity and affect your motor skills and judgment.  This is a huge hazard for yourself and coworkers around you make sure to never take any drugs or alcohol prior to beginning your work day.

9.  Practice correct posture

• Bad posture may not seem like a big problem but in the long run can have a huge effect on the employee as well as the company.  Make sure to practice good posture while sitting or lifting to avoid, sprains, strains, muscle tears or dislocations on your back or hips

10.  Reduce workplace stress

• Talk to your manager if workplace stress is hindering your focus.  Workplace stress can include issues such as overly long hours, conflicts with coworkers and heavy workloads.  This often leads to distractions, rushing and lower productivity. 

Blogger: Egypt Assanti

ESD Baroness

{aka} Big Sister Southern Heat