ProfNet Wire: Health & Living: Smoking and Blindness
LEADS
1. Etiquette: Text-Message Etiquette Tips
2. Health: Smoking Hastens Diabetes-Related Blindness
3. Home: Spring Out of High Heating Bills
4. Home: Bedrooms as the New Home Office
5. Nutrition: Keep on Snacking, Just Be Smart
6. Retirement: Boomers Search for Meaningful Activities in Retirement
7. Safety: Wheeled Shoes Raise Safety Concerns
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LEADS
**1. ETIQUETTE: TEXT-MESSAGE ETIQUETTE TIPS. APRIL MASINI is author of the critically acclaimed advice column and AskApril.com: "Text-message etiquette: 1. Keep it light and simple. The medium is meant for short and sweet, so keep it that way. 2. Impulsive check: Don't have three espressos and then start sending messages like crazy. You may send it to the wrong person altogether. 3. Don't rely on text messaging for your day's communication. Follow up with a phone call. 4. Beware of the text-message cad. If all you get from him is text messages and sex, you may be victim of a text-message dog. Text messages and sex are not a real relationship." Masini is best-selling author of four books: "Think & Date Like A Man," "Date Out of Your League," "50 First Dates" and "The Next 50 Dates." Masini: AprilMasini@AskApril.com Phone: +1-646-213-0232 Web site: http://www.AskApril.com (3/23/07)
**2. HEALTH: SMOKING HASTENS DIABETES-RELATED BLINDNESS. MICHAEL D. BENNETT, M.D., vitroretinal surgeon at the RETINA INSTITUTE OF HAWAII, specializes in the treatment and prevention of diabetes-related eye diseases and macular degeneration: "Among other risk factors, smoking hastens diabetic-related blindness. It is really important that ophthalmologic practices educate patients and their families about the connection between smoking and vision loss and counsel them on quitting. Staff members can be trained and receive certification to perform non-offensive, helpful interventions with tobacco users. Doctors and staff should identify tobacco users early on and develop a plan of action to assist them in quitting smoking. The plan becomes part of the patient's chart, and progress is assessed every visit." News Contact: Emmanuelle Sailor, ems@hastingsandpleadwell.com Phone: +1-808-538-0797, ext. 8 (3/23/07)
**3. HOME: SPRING OUT OF HIGH HEATING BILLS. KELLY WHITE is known as the "Heat Miser" in her job as a product manager at KAZ, a manufacturer of Honeywell-branded portable heaters: "Saving money on your heating bills doesn't have to be put on hold until the outside temperature reaches 70 degrees. You can take the chill out with a portable heater, especially during the 'in-between' months when it's not quite cold enough for the full central heating system. Figure out which type of portable heater is best for you and take the chill out of your early spring." News Contact: Kim Miller, kmiller@tieronepr.com Phone: +1-617-610-0583 (3/23/07)
**4. HOME: BEDROOMS AS THE NEW HOME OFFICE. KELLY SPEWOCK, academic department director for the Interior Design and Residential Planning departments at THE ART INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH, can talk about the latest home office trend: "For many of us, working, shopping and catching up on e-mails to friends all from the comfort of our beds is no big deal. But is this the best way to go -- for our sleep and our love life? Sometimes life intrudes, and work we must." When that happens, Spewock can offer design tips for incorporating work into your bedroom without sacrificing rest, romance or your design aesthetic. News Contact: Barbara Vilanova, bvilanova@aol.com Phone: +1- 412-242-0796 (3/23/07)
**5. NUTRITION: KEEP ON SNACKING, JUST BE SMART. ALLEGRA BURTON, MPH, health expert and registered dietitian for SOYJOY nutrition bars: "Snacking throughout the day is actually a great way to keep your energy levels balanced and provide your body with a steady flow of nutrients without overeating at meal time. The key to snacking smart is choosing the right type of snacks." Burton has vast experience educating families about the role of snacks in healthy lifestyles and can speak to a variety of health and nutrition topics. News Contact: Grace Kim, gracek@carryonpr.com Phone: +1-323-988-4663 (3/23/07)
**6. RETIREMENT: BOOMERS SEARCH FOR MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES IN RETIREMENT. RON MANHEIMER, Ph.D., executive director of the award-winning North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at the UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE: "A growing number of retirees find that, after the first few months, having lots of free time with 'nothing to do' becomes boring and creates a void that needs to be filled by meaningful activities. Comprehensive life planning encourages individuals to explore talents and passions that could not be pursued during a first career and while raising a family." News Contact: Michael Henry, mhenry@wwlcreative.com Phone: +1-704-926-1364 (3/23/07)
**7. SAFETY: WHEELED SHOES RAISE SAFETY CONCERNS. DR. STEVEN CONWAY, a spokesperson for the AMERICAN CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION: "Parents should be concerned about wheeled sneakers, because of the potential for head, wrist, elbow and ankle injuries due to falls, as well as the possibility of injuries due to altered gait patterns. It's imperative that children not only wear the proper safety equipment -- including helmets, wrist guards and protective pads -- but they should also use the shoes for recreation only, not for everyday regular wear." News Contact: Angela Kargus, akargus@acatoday.org Phone: +1- 757-253-1676 (3/23/07)
