John Tesh’s KJOY Blog

When it comes to calling 911, there are a few facts emergency dispatchers wish you knew: Information that’ll increase your odds of getting help as soon as possible. This comes from First magazine, and Paul Linnee, an emergency-communications specialist in Minneapolis:

• Dispatchers who repeat questions are NOT causing delays. 911 operators want to make sure emergency teams find you as fast as possible. So, they need to get all the information right – starting with confirming the address and phone number that pops up in front of them. They often double-check even simple spellings to avoid confusing between similar-sounding places, like “Weston Street” and West Tenth Street.”
• Another thing 911 operators wish you knew: Cell phone calls DON’T go to the nearest dispatch center. Calls from landlines go to the nearest call center, but 911 calls on cell phones connect you to the nearest cell tower. If the tower’s in another jurisdiction, your call could end up in a different city, county, or state. Even if you reach the right dispatch center, wireless carriers can only narrow your location to within 300 meters, which is an entire city block.So, if you call 911 on a cell, describe your location in detail – including any landmarks, like a nearby lake, bridge or building, and include the city and state, even if you have an exact address. Neighboring towns often have the same street names and numbers – and paramedics might show up at the right address in the wrong town.
• One final truth about 911 calls: “Dead air” DOESN’T mean your call was disconnected. A lot of call centers aren’t certified to provide medical advice – like how to perform CPR. You may hear weird sounds and silences if they need to transfer you to paramedics for help. Also, if the dispatcher needs to speak to emergency crews while you’re on the line, they may mute the conversation. The fix: Ask, “Are you still there?” If a dispatcher’s on the line, you should get a response. However, if you hear a dial tone or haven’t spoken to a live person in more than 20 seconds, hang up and call 911 again.

Teens taking part in sports is a good thing, right? In most cases the answer is, “Yes.” However, according to Science Daily, a new study shows that some sports tempt teens into taking dangerous risks. Researchers at the University of Minnesota surveyed more than 4,000 middle and high school students about their activities. The students were also asked if they had engaged in behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, or had used diet pills, laxatives or steroids. Luckily, the majority of students had not. However, the teens who participated in sports with a strong emphasis on size and weight - like gymnastics, wrestling and ballet - didn’t deliver good news.

• Almost one in 10 male wrestlers and gymnasts had induced vomiting or used diuretics within a week of the survey. That’s more than 600 times higher than the researchers expected.
• Steroid use was highest among teen girls! Nearly 7% of the ballerinas and gymnasts admitted to using them, and almost the same number owned up to vomiting and using laxatives to control their weight.

Study author Marla Eisenberg says it’s important for parents and coaches to emphasize skill and talent instead of weight. It’s also important for teens to understand how dangerous steroid use and extreme weight control measures can be. Steroids weaken bones and damage the heart and liver. They also cause depression and other psychological problems. Binging and purging ruins teeth, decreases lung capacity and can cause seizures. If you’re the parent of a teen, some things to watch out for are: mood swings, aggression, sudden muscle growth, red spots on the skin, and persistent bad breath. You should also keep an eye out for packages of laxatives, diet pills, and secretive eating habits. Any of these warning signs warrant a trip to the doctor. The good news is that the sooner your teen is treated, the less severe the effects will be.

It may not be the cheeriest of pieces to share with your listeners, but with weekend games, matches and tournaments coming up, it’s good intelligence to share!

The beginning of a year is always about motivation. So, no matter what you hope to accomplish in the next 12 months, all you have to do is adopt these three secrets of motivated people that we found in Real Simple magazine.

• Secret #1: Anticipate speed bumps in your plan. Before even trying to achieve a goal, plan for potential pitfalls and either preempt them if you can, or come up with a strategy to deal with them if they arise. Peter Gollwitzer is a professor of psychology at New York University, and he says that people who plan for obstacles are more likely to stick with their goals than those who don’t. For example, maybe your goal is to go for a jog every morning. What if you wake up one day and it’s pouring rain? Have a plan like, “If the weather’s bad, I’ll spend 20 minutes walking up and down the stairs in the hallway, rather than skipping exercise altogether.” This’ll help you stick to your new routine.
• Another secret of motivated people: Go public with your goal. James Fowler is a political scientist who studies social networks at the University of California, San Diego. He says other people can help reinforce your behavior. After all, it’s harder to abandon a dream when you know that people are tracking your progress. Take 25-year-old Stephanie Samarripa from Dallas. She wanted to lose 20 pounds, so she created a blog and asked her friends to read it, and hold her accountable. She weighs herself each week and announces the results on her blog. Samarripa says the positive comments people leave help keep her going – and keep her in line.
• Finally: Challenge yourself, and change things up. It’s hard to remain enthusiastic when everything stays the same. That’s the word from Frank Busch, who’s coached three Olympic swimming teams. To keep his athletes motivated, he constantly changes and surprises them – adding a new exercise to their workout routine, or giving them a break from a scheduled practice so they can recharge. So, if your goal is to finish that novel you started, try writing in a different room, or using a notebook instead of your computer. The more you change things up, the more motivated you’ll be to stick with it.

Groceries are one of the biggest money-drains you have, but you can save thousands of dollars a year just by making a few simple changes. For example, taking a minute or two to wash and cut your own fruits and veggies makes a HUGE difference. A bag of pre-washed romaine lettuce costs over a dollar more than a head of cut-it-yourself lettuce. By ditching the pre-packaged produce, you’ll save over $400 a year. Here are some other ways to slash your grocery bill, courtesy of the researchers at Real Simple magazine.

• Reduce your meat. Melissa d’Arabian is a host on the Food Network. She says that a recipe calling for a pound of ground beef – which is 16 ounces – can easily be made with just 13 or 14 ounces. Those few dollars of savings will add up quickly.
• Befriend the managers. The folks in charge of the produce, meat, dairy and seafood departments can tell you what time of day the food is marked down, so you can get the best deals.
• Buy more fruits and vegetables. Research from the American Dietetic Association shows that when families add more produce to their diets, their waistlines get smaller and their food budgets shrink by 25. That translates to more than $900 saved on average each year.
• This last tip is very important: Make a list and stick to it. We’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, people who avoid impulse shopping save big - spending up to 23% less on grocery bills. That’s an annual savings of more than $860.

Want to live even just a little longer?  From the book by John Corso, “Stupid Reasons People Die”, talking to your doctor about a few simple tests can prevent fatal illness, and add years to your life.  Here are 4 ways you can be proactive:

4.  Malignant melanoma- check yourself, and look for flat, dark brown, or black lesions with irregular shapes. Find one; see your doctor.