Personal Health Manager

Update your address

Sneeze guards

Summer alert: the brown recluse spider

Personal Health Manager
What are you doing to improve your health and sense of well being? Too busy to deal with it?

Would it help if you had a customized health plan that came to you? That’d be too expensive, right?

Not anymore. You can have an individualized health plan that comes into your home, workplace, library or wherever there’s an Internet connection. And it won’t cost you one red cent.

It’s your Personal Health Manager accessed through Blue Access for Members on the BlueCross BlueShield Web site. It’s a personalized online guide to put you on the health highway that is too convenient to not get healthier.

The free program uses technology and proven techniques.

With your PHM, you can:

• Get fit with an exercise program just for you.
• Eat right with healthy meal planning from a certified nutritionist.
• Stress less with life-improvement skills.
• Live and feel better with a healthier lifestyle while achieving personal fitness goals.

To get started:
• Logon to www.bcbstx.com. If you haven’t already registered, do it now. It’s easy and takes about two minutes.
• In the PHM, click on the PHM logo in My Health section.
• Explore menu selections to find tools to help you design a fitness plan, learn about common conditions, access the Mayo Clinic and much more.

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Update your address
Help the benefits division help you. Make sure they have your current address.

Old addresses delay your receipt of city information, particularly from your insurance carrier. Two things you need to do:

1. Keep your address updated in the payroll system.
2. Use the name in the payroll system for all forms.
Incorrect information causes delays in processing your claims and issuance of medical ID cards.

Don’t forget to notify the benefits division when:
• adding new dependents or
• dropping ineligible dependents

For help, call customer service (713) 837-9400 or (888) 205-9266. Or BlueCross BlueShield representatives, (713) 837-9376, 9377 or 9448.

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Sneeze guards
Simple strategies soothe summer sniffles.

• Sniff salt water. Decongestant nasal sprays can trigger a rebound reaction making congestion worse. Instead, try a saline spray rinse, which can alleviate stuffiness for hours, without adverse side effects.

• Eat away at sniffles. Quercetin, a substance found in foods such as onions and apples, blocks the release of histamines, the chemicals that trigger an allergic response.

• Clock watch. Seasonal symptoms peak early in the morning, so if you take a once-daily med such as Allegra, do it at bedtime. That way the drug’s circulating in your system by morning when you need it most.

• Peeper protection. Wear sunglasses to shield eyes not just from UV rays, but also from airborne pollen. And they curb the urge to rub your eyes, which can transfer pollen from your fingertips.

• Home guard. Keeping pollen out of your home can result in huge improvements. Keep the air conditioner on and the windows closed. Consider changing clothes when you go home.

• Eyewash. To relieve eye irritation, use artificial tears. Use sparingly, drops for red eyes can increase irritation if overused.

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Summer alert: the brown recluse spider
Almost summertime: Time for yard work and house cleaning.

Beware: The brown recluse spider lurks in dark outdoor areas like woodpiles and storage sheds, and also in undisturbed spaces in attics, basements, cellars, crawl spaces and closets. If you need to be in one of these areas turn on a light and leave it on for about 30 minutes before you do your work. And above all, look before you reach.

We all should know what this spider looks like: The body is about 3/8 inches long and 3/16 inches wide with long, thin brown legs spanning the size of a quarter.

The brown recluse may also hide in seldom-used storage boxes, shoes, clothing and folded linens.

If bitten
• Apply an ice pack directly to the bite to reduce swelling and slow the venom’s spread.
• Collect the spider, even if crushed, in a plastic bag, small jar or pill vial. This is necessary for a positive identification by medical personnel.
• Seek immediate attention from your physician, urgent care center or health-care clinic.
• You may receive a high dose of oral cortisone.

Prevention: be safe not sorry
• Shake out seldom-used clothing and shoes before wearing.
• Inspect stored-away bedding and towels before use.
• Wear gloves when working outside. And inspect the gloves before putting on.
• Remove bed skirts and storage boxes from underneath beds. Move your bed a few inches away from the wall.
• Exercise care when handling cardboard boxes, especially under folded cardboard flaps.

Source: University of Nebraska, Department of Entomology.