Health Tips for the Week of January 30

• BENEFITS OF COLD WEATHER WORKOUTS
• SMILE KENTUCKY! AND UofL SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY WORK TO IMPROVE SMILES
• UNDERSTANDING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS FOCUS OF UofL LECTURE

BENEFITS OF COLD WEATHER WORKOUTS

When the temperatures drops, it’s tempting to stay inside and hibernate. But, maintaining an exercise routine throughout the winter offers tangible health benefits.

Jessica Stumbo, M.D., with UofL Physicians-Sports Medicine offers several reasons to keep moving and fight the cold.

• You burn more calories.
  As the body works harder to regulate its core temperature among the elements, you’ll burn a few more calories during your wintry workout compared to one conducted indoors.
  
  
• Your endurance performance increases.
  By challenging yourself in the cold weather, you are strengthening your heart, lungs and circulatory system, thereby improving your overall health. However, if you have asthma or another lung disease please check in with your health care provider before embarking on an outdoor adventure.
  
  
• You’ll feel happier and more energized.
  Working out in the winter can help fight SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Seasonal affective disorder can affect as many as 20 percent of Americanswho find themselves with severe to mild depression during the cold months. One of the best ways to combat this blah feeling it to get moving.
  
  
• You’ll strengthen your heart.
  Cold weather also makes the heart work harder to distribute bloodthroughout the body. But a regular exerciser with cardiovascular endurance can make the heart muscle even stronger with these cold-weather sessions, better preparing the body for more strenuous workouts in the future — not to mention other non-exercise stresses in life. 

Read  Stumbo’s complete list of tips on the UofL Physicians blog.

SMILE KENTUCKY! AND UofL SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY WORK TO IMPROVE SMILES OF KIDS

Helping give children a new smile is the focus of a collaboration between Smile Kentucky! and the University of Louisville School of Dentistry.

On Friday, Feb. 1, Bullitt County Elementary School children will receive free dental care at UofL. It is the first of three treatment days for nearly 40 children identified during the first phase of the Smile Kentucky! program, consisting of school-based dental education and screenings.

UofL dental students, pediatric dentistry residents and dental faculty will meet the oral health needs of these children, ranging from basic cleanings and x-rays to restorations related to tooth decay. Those requiring additional treatment will be invited to return for subsequent appointments at no out-of-pocket cost to them and their families.

This past fall, members of the Louisville Dental Society and other local providers completed dental screenings for 800 Bullitt County children in grades 3-5 through the Smile Kentucky! program. Children with no dental insurance or who have urgent dental needs were invited to participate in one of the three Smile Kentucky! treatment days. The first phase of the effort also involved oral health education for 3,600 children.

Smile Kentucky! is now in its 17th year and complements the ADA Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile® program to provide free oral health care services to underserved children.

UNDERSTANDING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS FOCUS OF UofL LECTURE

Why people develop suicidal thoughts and the evidence-based strategies to reduce suicide risk are the focus of the “Building Hope” public lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Stephen O’Connor, Ph.D., associate director of the UofL Depression Center, will present “Understanding and Recovering from Suicidality” at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2000 Douglass Blvd. The lecture is sponsored by the UofL Depression Center and Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Louisville.

Depression is an important topic to focus on for suicide prevention, but there is much more to suicidal experiences that are not explained or characterized by depression, O’Connor said.

“This is a misunderstood topic and we want people to better understand how to conceptualize why people develop suicidal thoughts,” O’Connor said. “Although the majority of people who have suicidal thoughts are experiencing depression, most depressed people are not suicidal. Therefore, the public needs to understand how depression indirectly impacts suicidality, whereas other factors are more directly related to suicide risk.”

The best treatments that help people recover from a suicidal crisis address the experiences and reasons that people have for feeling like death is a good option, he said.

The UofL Depression Center is Kentuckiana’s leading resource for depression and bipolar disorder treatment, research and education. It is a charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, a consortium of leading depression centers that develops and fosters connections among members to advance scientific discovery and provide stigma-free, evidence-based care to patients with depressive and bipolar illnesses.

For more information, call the Depression Center at 502-588-4886.

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