EBT Participant 2022 | Issue 1

Spring edition of Christian Brothers Health Benefit Services Employee Benefit Trust eNewsletter.

Employee Benefit Trust Newsletter

2022 | Issue 1

Staying healthy this spring

The weather begins to shift. The outdoors is calling. Spring is here. We have yearned for warmer days and shorter nights, but our circadian rhythm is off and our eyes are beginning to itch.

As a reminder, Teladoc can help with seasonal issues sprouting up. Virtual visits are available to all participants enrolled in the Christian Brothers Services Employee Benefit Trust. Sign up or learn more.

With spring comes potential hazards to newly found motivation for hitting the hiking trail or picking up a game of basketball. The five most common ailments, according to Healthgrade, are seasonal allergies, asthma, the common cold, Lyme disease, and sports injuries. But with proper preparation, these ailments can be either kept at bay or well-managed.

Here’s a look from Teladoc at how and where these sicknesses can affect you:

Illness	Symptoms	Main areas affected
Seasonal allergies	Sneezing, congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes	Nose, throat, sinuses, eyes
Asthma	Wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath	Lungs, chest
Lyme disease	Fever, rash, headache, body pain, tiredness	Muscles, skin, head
Respiratory virus	Sore throat, cough, fever, runny nose	Nose, mouth, throat, lungs
Sports injuries	Sore muscles, pain, swelling	Knees, elbows, hands

Seasonal allergies

Avoiding the outdoors is for winter. This is the time we want to get outside and embrace our chance at getting healthier by walking and exercising any way we can move more. So, the easiest thing we can do to avoid bringing allergies in, is to wash them off. As soon as possible, wash your clothes and hair to clear away pollens.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications can help and starting the routine early can lead to preventing allergies from taking hold. Some over-the-counter and prescription medications can bring relief, but you’ll want to discuss their differences and side effects with a physician. Teladoc physicians are available 24/7/365 to talk with you about your specific triggers, symptoms, and ways to find relief.

Asthma

Pollen is perhaps the most obvious threat to put a damper on spring, elevating allergies and triggering symptoms of asthma, making it more difficult to breathe. Air pollution and temperature changes can also make your symptoms worse.

The American Lung Association reminds you to do the following:

Check your outdoor air quality. Every day. Plan accordingly for any obvious triggers.
Lawn and garden maintenance. Check your local pollen count and consider gardening in the early morning or evening when the pollen count is at its lowest.
Beware the citronella. Bug spray and citronella can trigger an asthma episode. Choose unscented sprays and stay a few feet away from candles.
Use medications as prescribed. Always be sure to use your preventive or controller medications as prescribed, even if you feel well.

Read more tips here on how to be active with allergies.

Lyme Disease

According to Healthgrades, deer ticks—which transmit Lyme disease—become active when temperatures rise above 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember to avoid tall vegetation, use tick repellant, and perform tick checks after you’ve been outdoors. If you find a tick, remove it with a pair of fine-tipped tweezers. Then watch for symptoms, such as rash or fever, over the next few weeks. If you start to have symptoms, reach out to a physician.

Respiratory illness

Fluids from the respiratory tract can carry a virus, which can survive on both skin and surfaces. As we have learned all too well with COVID-19, sanitizing is important. Wash hands after being in public places and always before eating. Keep your distance from anyone who may be coughing or sneezing as a result of the illness. If someone in your house is sick, thoroughly clean commonly touched areas and avoid sharing food or drink.

As a reminder, it is important to spot the difference between COVID-19 and seasonal allergies. According to the Mayo Clinic, unlike COVID-19, seasonal allergies aren't caused by a virus. Seasonal allergies are immune system responses triggered by exposure to allergens, such as seasonal tree or grass pollens.

COVID-19 and seasonal allergies cause many of the same signs and symptoms. However, there are some differences.

Symptom or sign	COVID-19	Allergy
Cough	Usually (dry)	Sometimes
Fever	Usually	Never
Muscle aches	Usually	Never
Tiredness	Usually	Sometimes
Itchy nose, eyes, inner ear	Never	Usually
Sneezing	Rarely	Usually
Sore throat	Usually	Rarely
Runny or stuffy nose	Usually	Usually
Pink eye (conjunctivitis)	Sometimes	Sometimes
Nausea or vomiting	Sometimes	Never
Diarrhea	Sometimes	Never
New loss of taste or smell	Usually (early on)	Sometimes

Sports and fitness injuries

For many, spring is also the beginning of a new fitness routine after the long nap of winter. Take it slowly. According to the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, P.A., muscle strains are often the result of doing too much, too soon. Make your first workouts easier than you think they should be. Increase your strength and stamina slowly and protect yourself.

Don’t skip the warm up and the cool down—it can make the difference between an injury and continuing to play your favorite sport.
It’s important to cross-train. It’s easy to develop muscle imbalances that can lead to injury if you don’t participate in some cross-training activities, the Orthocenter cautions. You’re also more likely to develop overuse injuries without variation in what you do.

Over 50% of people say allergies impact their daily quality of life

2/3 of asthma patients have seasonal allergies

Approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year

Ankle and head injuries are the most common sport related injuries

Stress Less

Stress is a normal response, which some say can even be seen as a motivator and an essential tool for survival. It seems almost inevitable that being stressed is a part of everyday life, but ignoring it can only lead to further health issues. How we manage stress becomes the key to protecting our health.

When under stress, the body undergoes several changes: blood pressure and pulse rise; breathing speeds up; the digestive system slows down; immune activity decreases; muscles become more tense and sleepiness decreases due to a heightened state of alertness. This can lead to a host of physical and mental health issues, from cardiovascular to anxiety and depression.

Medical News Today reports that people may find that the following lifestyle measures can help them manage or prevent stress-induced feelings of being overwhelmed.

Exercise: A 2018 systematic review of animal studies found that exercise can reduce memory impairment in subjects with stress, although studies on humans are necessary to confirm this.
Reducing the intake of alcohol, drugs, and caffeine: These substances will not help prevent stress, and they can make it worse.
Nutrition: A healthful, balanced diet containing plenty of fruit and vegetables can help maintain the immune system in times of stress. A poor diet can lead to ill health and additional stress.
Priority management: It may help to spend a little time organizing a daily to-do list and focusing on urgent or time sensitive tasks. People can then focus on what they have completed or accomplished for the day, rather than on the tasks they have yet to complete.
Time: People should set aside some time to organize their schedules, relax, and pursue their own interests.
Breathing and relaxation: Meditation, massage, and yoga can help. Breathing and relaxation techniques can slow down the heart rate and promote relaxation. Deep breathing is also a central part of mindfulness meditation.
Talking: Sharing feelings and concerns with family, friends, and work colleagues may help a person “let off steam” and reduce feelings of isolation. Other people may be able to suggest unexpected, workable solutions to the stressor.
Acknowledging the signs: A person can be so anxious about the problem causing the stress that they do not notice the effects on their body. It is important to be mindful of any changes.

As April marks Stress Awareness Month, we are reminded self-care is important to our overall health. People who find that stress is affecting their daily life should seek professional help. A doctor or psychiatric specialist can often help, for example, through stress management training.

The Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust offers several benefits to help, including access to Livongo for Hypertension which combines advanced technology with personalized coaching to help members identified with hypertension manage their blood pressure; and a telemedicine opportunity through Teladoc in which you are able to talk to licensed psychiatrists, psychologists or therapists to assist in behavioral health needs by phone or video.

55% of Americans reported feeling stress during each day

(Gallup, 2019)

For a few more ways to learn how to manage stress, check out this playlist of five TED Talks on how to manage stress, all under 15 minutes, including:

How to make stress your friend
All it takes is 10 mindful minutes
Could the sun be good for your heart?
How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed
The art of stillness

What you need to know about text therapy

Better mental health continues to be at the forefront and avenues to achieve it are becoming easier to navigate. Text therapy is rising in popularity, allowing people to reach out for support with their phones or other mobile device.

What may have come out of an appealing way to seek treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic has now become a more sought after benefit to offer mental health support.

Participants of the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust (CBEBT) have access to CuraLinc's Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (dCBT) and Text Therapy (Textcoach®) programs.

CuraLinc's dCBT platform is an innovative online and mobile program that offers evidence-based content, practical resources and daily inspiration to foster meaningful and lasting behavioral change.

Late last year, CBS opened access for participants to new programs offered by SupportLinc, which includes a component for text therapy called Textcoach®, designed as a stand-alone digital option to fill the gaps in the traditional behavioral health medical system.

Textcoach®--designed to help manage day-to-day issues, users can connect with a mental health ‘coach’ via mobile or desktop on one’s own time. All coaches, independently licensed and experienced clinicians, will be available to help with a wide range of mental health concerns, such as anxiety, burnout, depression, drug and alcohol concerns, mindfulness, relationship issues, resilience, stress, trauma and more.

A recent article from Healthline points to research, noting that text therapy may succeed for some people because of something called the “online calming effect.”

An initial study offered in the journal article listed in the PMC, the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine, indicates that online text therapy provides results similar to traditional therapy with the same interactions as face-to-face. For those with anxiety, being able to converse via text is appealing, seen as more comfortable and less threatening.

Through Textcoach® users can boost emotional fitness and well-being through an exchange of text-based dialogue, voicenotes, resource links and video links.

Accessible Participants can text with their coach at any time–on mobile or desktop–without worrying about scheduling or other conflicts.
Licensed All coaches are independently licensed clinicians who also have a special accreditation for providing technology-based care.
Secure All communication between participants and coaches is encrypted and stored securely.
Stigma-Free Textcoach® is an excellent resource for those who may not be receptive to ‘traditional’ face-to-face or distance counseling through the EAP.

Download CuraLinc's dCBT app to get started!

When to cancel your auto ship medications

Auto refills are very beneficial but if adherence to a regular schedule of medicine is off, the fallout can result in unnecessary waste and additional cost.

The importance of having enough of your medication when you need it is undoubtedly critical. For those suffering from a chronic condition, taking the hassle out of filling a prescription can attribute to both time and cost savings.

And if you’re getting your prescriptions filled by Express Scripts® Pharmacy, it’s easy to sign up for automatic refills and get a 90-day supply of your medication, further reducing the risk of running out.
However, as with most things in life, there is also a flip side. While auto refills are mostly beneficial, if your adherence to a regular schedule of medicine is off, the fallout can result in unnecessary waste and additional cost.

As a reminder, if you are not 100% compliant with your medication, taking it every time it is prescribed, you can be left with an additional supply that you do not need. Check your medication supply and if you have a high number of pills left over and you are due for your next auto refill, it can be beneficial to cancel that auto ship. While being part of the program actually allows for greater medical adherence and makes it easy to have prescriptions on hand, it can be equally wasteful and potentially dangerous with too much medication on hand.

Research indicates that storing leftover medications at home dramatically increases the risk of misuse by the patients or someone else in the home, and taking excessive doses puts you at risk for unexpected health complications.

Make it a habit to check your supply on a quarterly basis. If you find you have a surplus, you can cancel your automatic refill. Express Scripts will contact you via your preferred communication method before every automatic refill to tell you they’re getting ready to start working on your order. This gives you time to change the date or cancel the prescription if you no longer need your medication.

You can also visit the Express Scripts website and make the change by following these steps:

Log into mycbs.org/health.
Go to My Prescriptions and select prescriptions (this will bring you to the Express Scripts page).
Once on the ESI page, under Prescriptions, select the Automatic Refills page.
Select "stop automatic refills" beside the prescriptions to remove.

Express Scripts also reminds that staying on schedule with your medications can be as easy as prioritizing organization. It can be hard to judge how much medication you have left when your pills are still in their original bottle. A lack of organization can increase the odds you run out or take too much of your medication.

Get a basic pill organizer that allows you to sort your pills by both the day of the week and the time of day. Fill your pillbox on the same day each week, so it becomes part of your routine. This also lets you know if you have a week’s worth of medication (or not). Be sure to keep the original medication labels, as there’s important information there you may want to refer to later.

Resources and Reminders

Making a medical decision to decide where to receive treatment when you are sick can be stressful. Check out this quick tutorial on Choices of Care to determine your best option.

LIVONGO

App makes
sign-up easy

The Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust (CBEBT) is committed to helping its members lead healthy lives and have partnered with Livongo Health to make managing diabetes and blood pressure easier.

Need help signing up? Check out this quick video.