Sweating the interview: Excessive sweaters need not apply?

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Jan 9,2010

If success is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration, then it might follow that the Hyperhidrosis sufferer should have no trouble gaining employment. Not so fast. According to a recent International Hyperhidrosis Society (IHHS) employment survey of people dealing with issues of excessive sweating, the condition, also known as hyperhidrosis, can deter potential employers from hiring otherwise capable candidates and even deter those afflicted from seeking employment altogether.

“It comes as no surprise that our survey has confirmed the debilitating effect of hyperhidrosis on employment,” says Dr. David Pariser, president of the world-renowned American Academy of Dermatology and founding board member of IHHS. “In today’s tough economy, job seekers need every possible edge to make a good first impression on potential employers. Unfortunately, the excessive sweating disorder is often misinterpreted as a lack of confidence, negatively influencing chances of being selected as a job candidate.”

Conducted by the IHHS, the survey reveals the impact of the sweat condition on job interviews and career choices. The findings are dramatic, especially among those living with the affliction. The survey numbers clearly show the personal and professional toll experienced by individuals with hyperhidrosis. Because of concerns about excessive underarm sweat;

– 86% of those surveyed say they are fearful of going on job interviews,
– 27% avoid job interviews altogether,
– 88% say they avoid professions which are likely to reveal their ailment,
– 67% avoid speaking in public while in a professional setting, and
– More than half (56%) has had to avoid giving a presentation due to excessive underarm sweat.

The survey’s most shocking find is that nearly 1-in-4 adults (24%) don’t know that chronic excessive sweating is a treatable medical disorder. The social stigma and lack of understanding about this life-altering condition, even by those who live with it, is especially tragic when help and hope are so easily attainable.

Human resources consultant and transformational life coach Suzanne Eder is a strong proponent of job seekers utilizing all means of assistance to become advocates for their personal success and happiness. “The most essential element required to develop a deeply satisfying career is maintaining a state of inner peace and confidence. Without that strong foundation, self-doubt can erode the creative potential of even the most qualified person for a given opportunity. I would strongly encourage anyone dealing with the challenges of hyperhidrosis to reach out for the support and treatment they need and deserve.”

Source: International Hyperhidrosis Society


U.S. poison centers answered more than 4.3 million calls in 2008, including nearly 2.5 million calls about human exposures to poison, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers — up from 4.2 million calls in 2007.

Combined, U.S. poison centers together fielded an average of 6,825 calls a day, with more calls coming during warmer months. On average, U.S. poison centers received one call concerning a suspected or actual human poison exposure every 12.7 seconds.

Poison centers also took 130,495 animal calls and 1.7 million calls seeking information about poisons or possible poisons, according to the association’s 2008 annual report of its National Poison Data System.

The National Poison Data System (NPDS) tracks every call made to a U.S. poison center in near real-time, serving as a national resource to collect and monitor U.S. poison exposure and serving as one of the few real-time national surveillance systems in place to track health trends.

NPDS is also used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) as a near real-time assessment tool to detect possible chemical or bio-terrorism outbreaks. The American Association of Poison Control Centers and the NCEH work hand-in-hand to monitor the public heath safety of our country’s citizens.

“This is one of the few real-time disease reporting systems in existence anywhere,” said Dr. Alvin Bronstein, medical director at the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center and the lead author of the report. “This database is a tremendous scientific tool that’s in operation in poison centers around the country every day.”

About 13 percent of all poison exposure calls poison centers received in 2008 were related to analgesics, or painkillers. Cosmetics or personal care products, meanwhile, accounted for nine percent of all poison exposure calls and household cleaning products spurred 8.6 percent of all poison exposure calls to U.S. poison centers.

The National Poison Data System also documented 1,756 deaths reported to poison centers in 2008. Most of these fatalities involved exposure to drugs including sedatives, antipsychotics, antidepressants and cardiovascular drugs. And most poison-related fatalities occurred among adults between the ages of 20 and 59.

Children under the age of three were involved in nearly 39 percent of all poison exposures in 2008 and children under the age of six accounted for about half of all poison exposure calls in 2008. But children under the age of six accounted for just two percent of all poison-related fatalities in 2008.

Other findings in the report:
– Though deaths reported to poison centers have increased since last year, pediatric deaths reported to poison centers are down. In 2007, the National Poison Data System reported 1,597 deaths, with 47 among children. In 2008, the National Poison Data System reported 1,756 deaths, with 39 among children.
– Most information calls — 1.14 million — were for drug identification. Drug information calls increased 30 percent from 2007.
– Nearly 83 percent of poison exposures were unintentional. Suicidal intent was suspected in about nine percent of cases.
– Poison centers are serving a far larger population than in 1983, the first year the American Association of Poison Control Centers began documenting poison exposures. In 1983, 16 poison centers served 43.1 million. In 2008, 61 poison centers served a population of 304 million.

“This report comes at a time when poison centers around the country are facing a budgetary crisis, and underscores the value poison centers offer the public,” said Sandy Giffin, president of the American Association of Poison Control Centers and managing director of the Oregon Poison Center, who also authored the report. “Every year, more than 70 percent of calls to poison centers are managed on-site and outside of a health care facility — meaning the caller got the help they needed over the phone and didn’t need to go to a hospital or doctor’s office.”

Sixty-one poison centers, representing all 50 states, American Samoa, the District of Columbia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands contributed to the database. The report was authored by Drs. Bronstein, Daniel A. Spyker, Louis R. Cantilena Jr., Jody L. Green, Barry H. Rumack, as well as Giffin.

This is the 26th annual report issued by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

The full report is available online at www.aapcc.org. It was published in the December issue of Clinical Toxicology.

Source: American Association of Poison Control Centers


Behavioral Innovations Works to Ensure Comprehensive Programs Available

Behavioral Innovations, the premier Dallas/Fort Worth provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) services for families of children with autism and other developmental disorders, announces its partnership with key insurance carriers to offer in-network insurance coverage for several ABA therapy programs. Behavioral Innovations is the first behavioral therapy center in the Metroplex to offer in-network insurance for select treatments – mitigating the financial burden on parents.

As of January 1, 2010, Behavioral Innovations started accepting insurance from Aetna covering payments associated with their In-home Treatment Program and SAIL After School Program. The company started accepting in-network insurance coverage from Aetna for children in their Center-Based Day Program in 2009. Starting January 11th, the company will accept United Behavioral Health, which will cover their Center-based Day Program and SAIL After School Program.

“Behavioral Innovations has proactively partnered with specific insurance companies so parents can afford necessary treatments for their autistic children,” said Billy Edwards, Director of Business Development at Behavioral Innovations. “This alleviates some out-of-pocket expense and stress, which many parents face, and helps them start early intervention therapy for their child.”

Behavioral Innovations is the first ABA therapy center in Texas to join Aetna’s network and the first to partner with United Behavioral Health, providing in-network services. The company also provides in-network coverage for military families through Tricare/Humana, is filing claims for BCBS and Cigna and is working diligently with additional insurance companies to gain provider status and network coverage in the near future. This will allow the company to continue treating children that have developmental disorders, while making it more affordable for their parents.

“Autistic children need intensive therapy and treatment is expensive no matter how you slice it,” said Edwards. “We want families to have access to comprehensive programs that best fits their needs.”

Recently, the Texas legislature made it a priority to make changes in Autism insurance and treatment options. In 2007, the Texas Legislation passed House Bill 1919 to mandate that insurance companies recognize disorders on the autism spectrum. In May 2009, the legislature passed House Bill 451, widening the range of ages for insurance coverage and House Bill 192, excusing a temporary absence from school from a student diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders for an appointment with a health care practitioner.

“The Texas Legislature is helping parents overcome challenges associated with autistic children,” said Lisa Martin, whose autistic daughter, Paige, attends Behavioral Innovations. “With these insurance and legislative changes, it’s easier to get Paige the therapy she needs to improve her quality of life.”

Behavioral Innovations provides diversified and individualized autism therapy programs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The qualified professionals help children who have been diagnosed with Autism, Asperger’s, Cerebral Palsey, Down Syndrome, and many other developmental and behavioral disorders. Each program is tailored to meet each child’s unique situation.

Behavioral Innovations offers complimentary screenings for children with behavioral or delay disorders as well as a tour of the facility for parents. Its North Texas Autism Treatment Center, located in Irving, is designed to provide a clinical setting where children receive superior therapy services.

Source: Behavioral Innovations


As many as one in 90 children are today being diagnosed with autism–and autism research continues to focus almost exclusively on genetics. In its January/February 2010 issue (posted now at: www.emagazine.com), E-The Environmental Magazine looks at another factor that may be driving up autism rates–environmental toxicity.

Richard Lathe, Ph.D., a molecular biologist who wrote Autism, Brain, and Environment says that since the 1980s, autism rates “have gone up at least tenfold. It indicates that it can’t just be genetic–it must be environmental.”

One of the difficulties in tracking autism–and its causes–is the degree of variability in the disorder. In its more severe forms, autism affects social interaction and communication and leads to the development of intense habitual interests. Often, after a year of seemingly normal interaction, autistic kids will fail to respond to stimuli, make eye contact or turn at the sound of their name. They may not talk readily, or they may repeat themselves incessantly. They are likely to follow compulsive behavior, such as shaking their hands, stacking objects or repeating daily activities the exact same way each day. The treatment is years of intensive–and expensive–therapy.

Much speculation has surrounded the role of vaccines in triggering autism–specifically vaccines preserved with mercury-containing thimerosal (no longer widely used, except in flu vaccines)–but there have been limited studies on the effects of other environmental toxins, such as mercury from fish, air pollutants like lead and sulfur dioxide, water pollutants like arsenic and pharmaceuticals, and environmental toxins like phthalates (plasticizers), Bisphenol-A (used in some plastic water and baby bottles) and flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDEs, which are used in everything from electronics equipment to plastics and furniture.

“These chemicals are everywhere,” says Michael Merzenich, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the University of California San Francisco. “They’ve looked at levels of contamination from PBDEs in the Polar Regions and there are significant airborne levels everywhere. You really can’t escape them.”

The research that is taking up the environmental challenge is uncovering surprising answers–particularly in relation to the link between heavy metal toxicity and autism. Some of this research focuses on porphyrins: chemicals that increase in the blood in response to heavy metal toxicity. It turns out that autistic kids have more porphyrins in their blood following chelation–a detoxifying process–than do typical kids.

The antioxidant glutathione–critical for the body to excrete metals–plays a role, too. In 2004, researcher Jill James, Ph.D., of the Arkansas School of Medicine, led a pioneering study that showed autistic kids had significantly less glutathione than typical kids–which put their bodies in a state of “constant oxidative stress.” In other words, autistic kids were genetically predisposed to having low glutathione levels, making them particularly susceptible to heavy metal toxicity. That toxicity–whether from vaccines, fish, dental amalgams, air pollution, tainted water or other environmental toxins, might provide the “toxic tipping point” to render a child autistic.

Many of the doctors and researchers who suspect chemical causes for autism–and who believe in natural treatments–are included under the umbrella Defeat Autism Now! DAN!, as it is known, is a set of practices for looking at autism from a biomedical or whole-body perspective. These are medical personnel and parents of autistic kids who speak openly about potential chemical triggers for autism, from vaccines to mercury-tainted fish, who advocate treatments such as chelation therapy, gluten- and casein-free (wheat- and dairy-free) diets and even hyperbaric oxygen therapy, in which oxygen is administered in a pressurized chamber. They tend to be anti-drug and pro-supplement, and they insist that autism is, indeed, a treatable condition.

Source: E-The Environmental Magazine


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