Flag Day --June 14

Honoring our National Symbol

The idea of an annual day to honor the U.S. flag is believed to have originated in 1885. B.J. Cigrand, a school teacher, arranged for the pupils in his Fredonia, Wisconsin school to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of the Stars and Stripes) as "Flag Birthday." In many magazine and newspaper articles over the following years, Cigrand enthusiastically advocated the observance of June 14 as Flag Birthday, or Flag Day.

Gradually, the idea was adopted in many areas. Inspired by decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day was officially established by a proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. However, it was not until August 3, 1949 that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

In his writing about the U.S. flag, Charles Evans Hughes says:

The flag is the symbol of our national unity, our national endeavor, our national aspiration.

It tells of the struggle for independence, of union preserved, of liberty and union one and inseparable, of the sacrifices of brave men and women to whom the ideals and honor of this nation have been dearer than life.

DIRECTOR'S REPORT–Thomas H. Young, Director

The process has begun

We have made our submission to the Office of Personnel Management in response to this year’s Call Letter.

OPM will review the documents we have submitted and then the "negotiations" will begin. The quotation marks around the word negotiations represent the fact that, in the end, OPM has the power to dictate the terms of a final contract.

What will the 2002 benefit and premium package look like? We won’t know until the Fall, but I can tell you that much serious consideration has been given to the less than overwhelming response from active carriers during the past Open Season and the needs of our very loyal retiree members.

The deliberations during the next few months will not only settle next year’s Plan picture, but should also set the stage for a health benefits discussion on the floor of the 2002 National Convention in Philadelphia. The convention floor will provide the appropriate venue to look at the future direction of the Plan.

The NALC Health Benefit Plan, over the years, has tried to provide all things for all people. At the same time, during those years, costs have shifted and the wants and needs of the members have undergone a change in priorities.

Where does the Health Benefit Plan fit into the wants and needs and whose wants and needs, are we talking about? There are plenty of questions and a need to find the answers.

One of my concerns is the decreasing number of branch Health Benefit Representatives. Currently, the Plan records indicate that in 2000 there were 758 Health Benefit Representatives in the country. A recent update of information shows a dramatic loss of 76, which reduces the number of HBRs to 682. Remember this when you consider the modest overall increase in active members in the Plan from last Open Season.

So, what does this decline in Health Benefit Representatives represent? One could speculate that the position may be viewed as uninteresting, not relevant, or perhaps a "dead end" for those who are seeking to "move up" in the branch. Whatever reasons may be offered, there clearly is a different attitude toward the NALC Health Benefit Plan. Certainly, whatever opportunities there are for selling the Plan diminish as HBRs disappear.

Perhaps a case can be made that with the increase in communication opportunities via the internet, the plain language brochure and the NALC Health Benefit Plan’s 800 number, the need for HBRs is affected. Couple this with easier claims processing and faster claims payments, the problems of the "old days" just do not exist. These are some of the thoughts I have on the subject. Maybe you have some of your own.

How the NALC Health Benefit Plan Arrives at Premiums and Benefits Step One: The Annual Call Letter Every year, usually at the end of March, the Plan receives a "Call Letter" from the Office of Personnel Management. This letter gives us guidance on benefits, coverage issues and how and when to submit our proposal for the next year’s benefits. The process to be followed is extremely precise, and all benefit changes must be supported by actuarial figures. Once our proposal is submitted, negotiations can begin with OPM. If all goes well, these negotiations are generally completed by mid-August. Writing benefit changes and clarifications is an extremely tedious process. It is mandated by the Office of Personnel Management that our submissions must be in a specific format and in clear, precise language that can be fully understood by our membership and by any federal employee interested in joining the Plan. When our proposal is submitted, we also submit a proposal for premium rates. Through the negotiation process, OPM looks at our proposed benefit structure and the reserves held. During the planning stages and the actual negotiations, it has always been the Plan’s intent to put ourselves in a position to stabilize premiums as much as possible for our members as well as provide them with the benefits necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle.

HEALTH IN THE NEWS

Food of the Month

Onions (the roots of good health)

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in the Canterbury Tales that "we loved garleek, oynons and leekes." But there’s more to love about onions than their savory tang.

German researcher Walter Dorsch found that onions contain a substance which he claims is more effective at fighting inflammation than some prescription drugs. When his study subjects drank onion juice before being exposed to irritants, bronchial asthma attacks were reduced by half. A second substance in onions may also relieve hay fever.

Onions contain dozens of compounds that lower cholesterol, thin blood and prevent hardening of the arteries, all of which help to prevent heart disease. Their flavonoids have powerful antioxidant powers and can sweep up harmful free radicals.

The flavonoid quercetin helps to keep cholesterol from sticking to artery walls. It also lowers triglycerides which helps to keep blood pressure low. Quercetin actually halts the progression of tumors in the colons of animals, say doctors at the University of Texas in Houston.

Sulfur compound in onions fight cancer by killing harmful bacteria that can cause stomach cancers. That same sulfur inhibits the allergic response in asthma, say chemists at the State University of New York at Albany. Surprisingly, it only takes a few small servings a day to have a significant effect on breathing.

Health: Never too late for damage control

Regardless of our age, there’s an excellent chance that you can turn your health around. New research shows that it’s never too late to get healthier.

It’s especially true of habits that affect the circulatory system, say doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Check these facts:

• Sedentary 40-year old women who start walking briskly for half an hour four days a week soon have about the same low risk of heart attack as those who have exercised their entire lives.
• Women who eat just eight ounces of fish a week cut their risk of stroke by half.
• Eating more fruits, vegetables and fiber changes the blood’s sensitivity to insulin within two weeks, helping decrease the risk of diabetes almost immediately.
• From the day you quit smoking, carbon monoxide levels in your body drop dramatically. Within a week, your blood becomes less sticky and your risk of heart attack starts to decline.

Doctors believe that up to 70 percent of all chronic diseases in the U.S. can be warded off with sensible changes in lifestyle.

Medical Innovations

Now in trials are new devices to make tests and treatments more effective and less painful. According to The Kiplinger Letter, they are:

• A pill-sized camera for checking the colon from Given Imaging.
• A bloodless glucose monitor for diabetics from Cygnus. The wristwatch-like device uses electricity to draw out and measure glucose.
• Radiation-emitting "seeds" to keep arteries clean, from Cordis. Particles keep vessels from clogging.
• A battery-powered artificial heart from Abiomed. If trials succeed, it will alleviate a shortage of donated human hearts.

Morning Glucose Test is Best

To diagnose diabetes, testing patients in afternoon office visits may miss half of all cases of the disease, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The test involves measuring glucose levels, which should be done in the morning after an overnight fast during which the person has consumed nothing but water. But people often visit a doctor in the afternoon when glucose levels in the blood tend to be lower. The study involved 13,000 people who were undergoing health examinations.

Advertisements for prescription drugs now appear on television, in newspapers and in magazines. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Medical Centers say that consumers should be wary of the information that drug ads present. A study of more than 100 advertisements found that some did not include the name of the drug that was being promoted, the illness the product was designed to treat or the possible side effects of the drug.

Whether you work in it or play in it – Sun + Heat = Danger.

Anyone who spends time outside in hot, sunny weather should be on guard. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds us to watch for the symptoms of these heat-related illnesses:

Heat Exhaustion: Symptoms include headache, dizziness and lightheadedness. Weakness, confusion, mood changes, nausea, vomiting and fainting could also occur.

It’s important to act quickly when these symptoms are evident. The condition could develop into heat stroke. Here’s what to do:

• Get the person to a cool, shaded spot and stay with him or her.
• Loosen clothing and cool the skin with wet cloths. Fan the skin.
• Offer small amounts of water. Offer about four ounces every 15 minutes if the victim can drink.
• Turn the victim on his or her side if there are complaints of nausea.

If improvement does not occur within a few minutes, call for help.

Heat Stroke: If a person collapses after exposure to heat, it could be a sign of heat stroke. Call for emergency medical help at once.

Protect yourself outdoors

One study found that the two groups at greatest risk for heatstroke were roofers and tennis players. However, anyone who is exposed to sun and heat should take these steps:

• Drink plenty of water to make up for loss through perspiration.
• Wear loose fitting clothing that breathe and cover your skin. They’re cooler than shorts and tank tops.
• Take breaks in the shade.
• Eat lightly but well.
• Begin activities earlier in the morning when it will be cooler.
• Wear sun screen, sunglasses and a hat with a brim.

Protect yourself indoors

• Keep the environment cool. An air conditioner is best, but even table fans can help. If the AC goes out in hot weather, go to an air conditioned place such as a mall, theater or library.
• Drink regularly. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty.
• Check your medications. If you take a diuretic or beta blocker for high blood pressure, ask your doctor whether you can lower the dosage in very hot weather. Antihistamines and some other medications can cause heat-related problems.

Older people who live alone are at greatest risk during heat waves. Check on your elderly neighbors during very hot weather.

Nature’s Best Medicines -- The Top Nine Healing Foods

Forget the new and improved, the "light" and fat free -- nature provides you with some really tasty foods that are not only good for you but will bring lots of compliments when you bring them to your table. Below is a list of the nine top healing foods that you should put in your shopping cart every week:

1. Broccoli

This wonderful food can be adapted to any cuisine -- steamed, stir-fried, blanched, baked or raw. Not only is it good, but it is good for you. It is stuffed with compounds that may block cancer. It offers heart protection through vitamin C. This vitamin helps keep your arteries elastic and helps prevent blood from getting sludgy. A single serving of broccoli gives us 97% of our daily requirement of vitamin C. It also contains glutathione, which may reduce the risk of arthritis, diabetes and heart disease, as well as bolster the immune system, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and keep people at a healthy weight. It can help guard against cataracts and the leading cause of blindness over age 65 -- macular degeneration -- because it’s rich in beta carotene and lutein.

How much should you eat? The exact amount needed to prevent disease hasn’t been decided, however, we do know that in any quantity broccoli is an important vegetable to be added to your weekly shopping list. Just 1/2 cup of broccoli is considered a serving and it provides you with all the benefits listed above and a whopping two grams of fiber!

2. Garlic

You may not need to wear garlic around your neck to ward off the "bad guys" -- there are many ways to add this nutritious food to your diet.

One of garlic’s most proven benefits is its ability to cut cholesterol. It acts like aspirin in keeping the blood from clumping and sticking to artery walls. Garlic also has antibacterial effects similar to penicillin. Eating this pungent herb may help you fight off a strep throat -- but don’t use it instead of antibiotics for serious infections. Garlic is also an antioxidant and, in test-tube and animal studies, showed promise in preventing colon and breast cancers.

For heart-protective effects you should eat at least one clove daily. It doesn’t matter if it is cooked, raw, powdered or in tablet form, studies seem to indicate that any and all garlic intake is probably good for us in some way.

3. Kidney Beans

Kidney Beans provide the highest, healthiest fiber mix of any member of the legume family -- and, they are especially high in heart-healthy folate too.

Part of their healing power comes from seven grams of fiber per half-cup serving. Of that, 2.8 grams provide cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. All this fiber helps prevent heart disease, stroke and colon cancer. If that’s not enough, beans (kidney and a lot of others) are such good medicine that some doctors prescribe them for their patients with diabetes because they are digested slowly thus helping to maintain low blood sugar and normalizing insulin levels.

Kidney beans protect the heart because they are high in folate that can help keep blood levels of homocysteine low, AND they contain potent antioxidants that can keep fat in the blood from oxidizing -- the first step in the formation of artery-clogging sludge.

How much should you eat? Aim for a cup and a half of cooked beans daily. That’s enough to lower cholesterol and provide other health benefits.

4. Nonfat Milk

Milk -- the nonfat variety -- is just about the best food source of calcium around. It helps prevent brittle bones (osteoporosis) which affects at least 1/2 of all American women over age 50. Calcium is the bone builder in milk, and the vitamin D in milk helps us absorb the calcium.

In addition, nonfat milk, combined with a low fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables, has been known to lower blood pressure. Milk consumption has also been associated with a lower risk of kidney stones.

How much milk should you drink? Each 8-ounce glass of milk contains 300 milligrams of calcium. Women under 50 and men under 65 need 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day. Older individuals need at least 1,500 milligrams.

5. Oranges

This juicy fruit is chock full of vitamins and nutrients and soluble fibers that may ward off colds, lower cholesterol, build bones, prevent kidney stones, lessen the risk of colon cancer and speed recovery from heart attacks -- WOW! The phytochemicals it contains may even be able to help fight breast cancer.

The vitamin C found in oranges is the major player -- each average orange packs 70 mg of vitamin C which is 110% of our daily vitamin requirement. In addition, oranges give us folate, glutathione and potassium citrate which has been shown to help dissolve kidney stones.

Eat at least one orange a day -- two would be even better. Also, don’t skip the albedo (the mild tasting white material just under the peel) and the cord at the center of the orange -- it’s full of clot-fighting substances called flavoniods.

6. Salmon

Salmon is king when it comes to providing the benefits of fish oil. All fish have fats called omega-3; however, salmon is one of the richest sources. Omega-3 is a major player in the prevention of heart problems and maybe in controlling inflammatory problems like arthritis.

In a recent study, it was noted that people who ate the equivalent of just one serving of salmon weekly had half the risk of cardiac arrest than those who ate none. These good fats work by assuring the orderly flow of calcium, sodium and other charged particles into each heart cell which helps ensure a steady, strong heart beat.

With regard to inflammation -- scientists have learned that there is a significant drop when fish oil is added to the diet.

7. Tofu

Tofu is basically a soybean curd and because its name and description appear intimidating to a lot of people, it is shunned by many. However, this soybean derivative is nothing short of a super food when it comes to our health.

The soybean not only has a cholesterol-lowering effect, but it has the richest source by far of isoflavones, a plant version of estrogen. Isoflavones are also known kidney protectors.

How much do you need? For now, most soy researchers recommend 30 to 50 mg of isoflavones per day. A half cup serving of tofu has 35 mg of isoflavones.

8. Tomato Sauce

The lycopene (one of nature’s antioxidants) found in tomato sauce is touted as a cancer fighting weapon of nature. Tomato sauce, cooked in a tiny bit of olive oil, seems to be a good guard against prostate cancer. Evidence also suggests that it may protect against colon, esophageal and stomach cancers as well.

How much should we eat? A few servings each week, but don’t get your dose of "lycopene" from cheese and pepperoni pizza. Stick to salsas and spaghetti sauce.

9. Water

We bathe in it, relax in it, exercise in it and should be guzzling it. Our bodies are mostly made of it -- and it’s a wonder medicine.

Water is required by every cell in our bodies for optimum health. Getting enough water helps fight off fatigue and muscle cramping that result from even minor dehydration, maintains body temperature, helps prevent kidney stones and keeps the skin firm and healthy looking. Drinking five or more glasses a day can also slice women’s colon-cancer risk in half compared with those who drank fewer than two glasses a day.

How much do I need to drink a day? Your total fluid intake should be 48 to 64 ounces daily -- more if you are very active.

THE PHARMACY CORNER

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Survey Finds 402 Medicines in Development for Cancer...

These new medicines include:

• 68 medicines in development for lung cancer (the leading cause of cancer death in the United States).
• 59 medicines for breast cancer, which currently strikes one out of every ten American women.
• 55 in development for colon cancer, which has the third highest incidence of any cancer site for American men.
• 52 medicines in development for skin cancers, including melanoma (the deadliest form) whose incidence has grown four percent a year since 1970.
• 52 medicines for prostate cancer, which takes 37,000 lives a year.

Among the other cancer medicines in development are drugs that target solid tumors, sarcomas, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, multiple myeloma, lymphoma, liver cancer, leukemia, kidney cancer, head and neck cancers, cervical cancer, brain cancer, stomach cancer and bladder cancer.

Of the medicines in development, 17 have already completed from 12 to 15 years of testing and are either waiting for or are currently in review by the Food and Drug Administration. It is possible that some of the medicines may be available to patients this year.

For further information about the drugs in development, contact the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in Washington, D.C., or visit their website at www.phrma.org.

Great News!!! New NALC/Caremark Mail Service Pharmacy

Beginning this month, Caremark will start dispensing NALC member orders from Caremark’s new state-of-the-art mail service facility in Mt. Prospect, Illinois.

This exciting new facility is just down the road from the current Lincolnshire facility that processes the NALC prescription orders. The facility will be 80,000 square feet compared to the 47,000 square feet currently being occupied in Lincolnshire. The move allows the Illinois operation to increase its capacity by a minimum of 50% and incorporates many new pharmacy dispensing technologies.

The use of this new technology increases Caremark’s automated dispensing capabilities from 60% to 85% while improving accuracy and timeliness. Along with the improved accuracy and efficiency, NALC patients will benefit by receiving a pre-printed patient profile/order form with each order, along with vastly expanded patient counseling information.

The new pharmacy will continue to be managed by the same management team and all existing employees will be relocated during the transition. We anticipate the NALC transition to be complete by the end of June 2001.

During the transition period, mail will be moved between facilities by Caremark personnel on a daily basis. Caremark will continue to pick up mail at the Lincolnshire Post Office through the end of all Caremark client cutovers, and will then issue a forwarding order with the post office to have mail forwarded to Mt. Prospect. The post office will then begin forwarding mail received in Lincolnshire for a period of one year.

THINK SAFETY

Too Tired to Drive

Pay your sleep debt before getting behind the wheel. If you’re tired, the monotony of driving can cause you to fall asleep without being aware of it. The American Trucking Association offers the following danger signs as warnings that you could fall asleep while driving:

• Your eyes close or go out of focus.
• You don’t remember driving the last few miles.
• You find it hard to keep your head up.
• You can’t stop yawning.
• Your thoughts are wandering and disconnected.
• Your speed becomes variable.
• You frequently drift out of your lane.

Mowers -- stay safe in your own backyard

Lawn mowers of various kinds are probably the most hazardous equipment you use in summer. They will account for about 76,000 emergency room visits this year.

"If you keep children away from your work area and don’t carry them as riders, you’ve taken important steps to keep them out of harm’s way. However, when adults try to bypass the built-in safety features of machinery, like clutch brakes, deflectors on chutes and automatic shut offs, they place themselves at unnecessary risk." These words by Dr. Sam Steel, Director of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, tell a large part of the mower safety story.

Other things to remember:

• Know your equipment. Read the operator’s manual and know how to shut off the machine quickly. Never refuel a hot engine.
• Remove all debris, toys, rocks, sticks and other objects from the mowing area.
• Wear pants, heavy footwear and eye protection when mowing. Don’t try to mow wet grass.