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Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2498 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Addressing A “Painful” Communication Gap (NAPSA)—A nationwide survey found that a sizable gap exists between patients and healthcare professionals when it comes to understanding and discussing pain. To address this discrepancy, a new coalition of leading pain management organizations has formed to improve how patients and healthcare professionals communicate with each other. The Let’s Talk Pain Coalition is the first of its kind to unite the perspectives of patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals to encourage people to talk more about pain, listen actively and act in ways that improve care for the millions of people who live with pain. The organizations behind Let’s Talk Pain have created a new interactive Web site, www.letstalk pain.org, to provide visitors with comprehensive information and tools to help enhance the dialogue between those affected by pain and healthcare professionals. Among other resources, the site offers videos highlighting patient and healthcare professional success stories, communication checklists and pain definitions. Here are just a few of the tips the Coalition suggests for improving the pain dialogue: For Patients • Don’t be afraid to speak up. Only you know the extent of your pain. • Download a pain journal to record the frequency and intensity of your pain. • Take note of how well your treatment plan is working and what makes your pain worse or better. • Bring a relative or friend to your appointments for support and to help take notes and remember what was said. • Become familiar with pain terms and conditions and learn more about how pain is assessed. Quick Ways To Cut Energy Bills Pecans: Good For Your Heart An interactive new Web site may help open channels of communication regarding pain. For Healthcare Professionals • Developing open lines of communication with patients is critical to achieving successful treatment outcomes. • Know that simply acknowledging a patient’s pain has been shown to have profound therapeutic results. • Leading pain expert Dr. Scott Fishman, chair and president of the American Pain Foundation and chief of the Division of Pain Medicine, and professor of anesthesiology at the University of California at Davis, offers communication tips for healthcare professionals on the site, and discusses the impact of treatment side effects and different approaches to opioid therapies. Founding members of the Let’s Talk Pain Coalition are the American Pain Foundation, the American Society for Pain Management Nursing, and the American Academy of Pain Management. PriCara™, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is the sponsor of the Coalition. For more information, visit www.letstalkpain.org. The site encourages visitors to share their own pain stories and provides a c cess to the Coalition’s pain experts. (NAPSA)—Here’s food for thought: Scientific research suggests that eating just a handful of pecans each day may help lower the risk of heart disease, due to the nut’s high concentration of healthy unsaturated fat. They’re best enjoyed when fresh and flavorful, so the National Pecan Shellers Association (NPSA) offers these buying and storage tips: When you’re looking to help your heart and have yourself a savory snack, nutritionists advise: Nuts to you—especially pecans. • Look for plump kernels uniform in color and size. • Shelled pecans can be refrigerated for up to nine months and for two years in the freezer. • Airtight containers, such as jars with lids, are best for storing pecans in the refrigerator. • Sealed plastic bags work best for storing pecans in the freezer. • In-shell pecans can be stored in a cool, dry place for six to 12 months. For more information on pecans, visit www.ilovepecans.org. For a free brochure with recipes, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to NPSA, 1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30342. (NAPSA)—It seems the right storm window might help you weather high energy costs. The U.S. Department of Energy now reports that a good storm window can cut an exterior window’s energy loss by as much as 50 percent. Add to that the fact that the average-size storm window costs about $40, compared to having the same-size replacement window installed for $400 to $600, and you might see how savings could quickly add up. Indeed, storm windows can pay for themselves in just three years through energy savings. It can take 20 or more years for replacement windows to do the same. Easy To Install Experts say that if you can read a tape measure and use a power screwdriver or drill, you can install storm windows yourself—right over your existing windows. That’s not always the case with large or heavy replacement products. And because most styles are designed to install over “double hung” windows that open and close by moving up and down, storms generally have both glass and screens and can be left on your home year-round. Cutting Energy Loss Storm windows can result in a less drafty and more energyefficient home because they pro- Storm windows can pay for themselves in energy savings after just three years. vide an extra layer of insulating g l a s s o v er e x i s t in g w i n do w s . Additionally, storm windows can work on picture windows, sliders or basement window openings— areas often overlooked for energy loss. Finding Storms Quality brands of storm windows can be found at all major home centers near the “millwork” department. To find out if storm windows will work for you and to learn how to measure for them, visit StormWindowsSave Money.com.
