Back to School Wellness Bundle

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The demands for back to school can be overwhelming when it comes to backpacks, haircuts, and new outfits, but many students are also in need of required vaccinations, well child checks, or sports physicals.

NOAH is easing the stress of back to school health needs with our Wellness Bundle. This visit takes about an hour and is your “one and done” health exam for back to school. Schedule one appointment and see multiple providers who will examine your child’s health needs in the following areas:

  • Medical & Immunizations
  • Dental
  • Nutrition
  • Emotional Health
  • Community Resources

Any recommended follow-up care will be noted and then scheduled when it’s convenient for you.

Wellness Bundle appointments are available for children of any age at NOAH’s Desert Mission and Palomino Health Centers from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the following dates:

Desert Mission Health Center

  • Saturday, August 13

Palomino Health Center

  • Thursday, August 4
  • Friday, August 5

Your family’s health is important to us and we know your time is valuable. Let NOAH help check a few items off your list this back to school season.

Call us at 480-882-4545 to book your Wellness Bundle or request an appointment online.

Do Jalapeños Make You Sweat?

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If jalapeños and other spicy foods make you sweat, you’re in luck because they are actually cooling you down!

Chili peppers contain, capsaicin, an oil-like compound that makes them spicy. The hotter the pepper, the higher the capsaicin content.

We can thank Native Americans for early experimentation with the chili pepper plant and capsaicin’s variety of uses in food and even medicine.

Many people experience a physical response when eating foods that contain capsaicin.

According to the American Chemical Society, although capsaicin doesn’t actually generate heat, it triggers pain receptors in your tongue, mouth, and back of your throat that send a signal to the brain, which is interpreted as heat. Your brain’s natural reaction to this heat is to engage your body’s built-in cooling system by generating sweat. Your body cools down as the sweat evaporates.

While everyone’s body might not have the same reaction to capsaicin, most people will experience the cooling effect. It’s no wonder why areas with hotter climates are known for their spicy foods!

It is important to note that in this case, more is not always better, while peppers have many health benefits beyond triggering your cooling system, you can build a tolerance to spicy foods and make yourself sick by ingesting too much of a good thing.

Start off on the lower end of the scale with these recipes from our NOAH dieticians that are healthy, tasty, and bound to cool you off!

Fresh Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

Fresh Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce

Fresh spring rolls known as goi cuon, made with carrots, lettuce, red pepper and purple cabbage served with a sweet chili sauce are fun to make. They are a quick healthful bite that is great as a snack or appetizer.

GET RECIPE

Chipotle Pork Chops

Take your pork chops to a whole new level with this spicy and flavorful chipotle adobo sauce. I’ve been known to make a few extra chops just so I have leftovers for tacos later in the week when are nights are busier than usual and there just isn’t as much time to cook. And besides, who doesn’t love tacos?

GET RECIPE
Stuffed Jalapeños

Stuffed Jalapeños

These baked stuffed jalapeños are an amazing and super easy appetizer to make when entertaining guests. They also make a great snack that is low in carbs and high in protein.

GET RECIPE

New 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

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The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will have a new number beginning July 16. While help will still be available through the current ten-digit Lifeline, access to support through a new three-digit phone number, 988, will make it even easier to get support.

What Does the Lifeline Do?

For every one person who dies from suicide, 316 others seriously consider suicide but do not kill themselves (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)). In many cases, simply talking with a friend, family member, or counselor can mean the difference between life and death.

That’s where the Lifeline comes in. Anyone can call, text or chat with a trained counselor through the Lifeline – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Lifeline is connected to over 200 accredited crisis call centers located throughout the country. When someone calls 988, their call is routed to a location near them. Being connected with someone local helps with finding resources for follow-up treatment and support. However, being part of a nationwide program ensures no call goes unanswered when local counselors are not available.

Why the Change?

The new number is easy to remember, quick to dial, and with a universal code like 911, is an an equally accessible option for life-saving care. As an alternative to calling 911 for mental health services, calls to the 988 Lifeline are expected to increase. Lifeline program administrator, Vibrant Emotional Heath, puts it simply, “When you’ve got a police, fire, or rescue emergency, you call 911. When you have an urgent mental health need, you call 988.”    

How Can You Help?

Over 20 million calls have been made to the Lifeline since it became available in 2005. Although some initial support for 988 has come from federal, state and local resources, more help is needed to staff, fund, and raise awareness of the service.

With the anticipated increase in calls, SAMHSA is actively recruiting volunteers, interns, and employees to serve as crisis counselors and managers for the Lifeline. Check out the Lifeline website for more ways you can support your local crisis call center.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call, text or chat the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-8255 or 988

For non-urgent needs, consider scheduling an appointment with a NOAH counselor.

Pool Safety: What you Need to Know

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A hot summer afternoon in Arizona often means spending time in the pool with family and friends. This can be a great time to cool off, get active, and enjoy our beautiful weather, but pools can be dangerous. Check out these tips to stay safe next time you dive in.

Monitor Access

  • Install a fence at least four feet tall around the pool, which should ideally surround the pool on all four sides and completely separate it from your home and yard. It should not have any gaps that a small child could slip over, under, or through. The gate should be a self-closing and self-latching without the ability to be be opened or reached by a small child.
  • Add an extra layer of protection with alarms or notifications for your pool, pool gate, doors, and windows that can alert you when someone is in or around the pool.
  • Ensure your pool and property enclosure is compliant with safety requirements per your home’s city or county building code.

Designate a Water Watcher

Never leave children alone, even for a moment, in or near a pool or other body of water including lakes, beaches, and even bathtubs or buckets of water.

When any inexperienced swimmer is around the pool area, make sure there is a designated adult providing continuous supervision. This adult should not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, should not have any distractions (including cell phones, books, magazines, etc.), and preferably knows how to swim and perform CPR. Ensure your designated Water Watcher is aware they are the only one providing supervision and must hand off the responsibility to another qualified adult if they become distracted or need to leave the pool area. Some households use a lanyard or other item to identify the designated Water Watcher and have a physical item to hand off when transferring responsibility to someone else.

Learn to Swim

Consider parent/toddler swim classes for children over the age of one. These classes help little ones get used to the water and are a good introduction for future swimming lessons. Children ages four and up are typically ready for independent swimming lessons. Talk to your pediatrician about your child’s developmental readiness to take swim lessons. There are a variety of options for swimming lessons for children of all ages, as well as adults, at public pools, private pools, and even your own home. Wherever your child learns to swim, if you have a pool at home or elsewhere that you use regularly, make sure swimmers are familiar with the layout of the pool like changes in water depth and the location of the steps.

Use the Buddy System

Even experienced adult swimmers should never swim alone. Medical and environmental emergencies unrelated to swimming ability can often pop up when they’re least expected. Swimming with a buddy provides an extra layer of safety and it’s more fun too.

Check Your Equipment

  • Keep rescue equipment like a safety hook and life preserver near the pool for easy access in case of emergency.
  • Avoid inflatable swim aids like floaties, as they are not a substitution for proper life-preserving equipment like life jackets.
  • Talk to your pool operator to make sure your pool (and spa if you have one) drains are compliant with the Pool and Spa Safety Act.

Use Caution Around Chemicals

Chemicals like chlorine keep our pools nice and clean but they can have serious affects on your health if used improperly. Always follow the instructions on the chemical packaging for storage and use and make yourself aware of the recommended emergency treatment for various types of accidental exposure or ingestion. It’s also a good idea to program the phone number for Poison Control into your phone (1-800-222-1222).

Avoid Sunburn and Dehydration

It’s easy to get sunburned and dehydrated in the pool because the water keeps you cool. Even if your skin doesn’t feel hot, be sure to apply and reapply sunscreen, protect exposed skin with a t-shirt or wide-brimmed hat, and seek shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun’s ultraviolet rays are the strongest. Keep a water bottle near the pool and drink up even if you’re not thirsty. There’s a good chance you’re sweating underwater (either from the outdoor temperature or physical exertion) and you need to replenish your fluids to stay hydrated. Make sure everyone in and around the pool is familiar with the signs of heat-related illness and seek first aid or medical treatment when needed.

Do Not Swim During Storms

Afternoon thunder and lightning (or electrical) storms are common during the summer in Arizona and water conducts electricity. In the event of a storm the National Lightning Safety Institute recommends evacuating the pool immediately and seeking shelter inside the house until at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard.

Your NOAH provider is a great resource for water safety, heat-related illness, and sun exposure. If you haven’t had a check-up recently or have a specific concern, schedule an appointment, we’d love to see you.