Ambien Linked to Death

What if I told you that the long-term use of prescription sleeping pills increased your risk of death by 3-5 times even if you only took it once a year?

Researchers at Scripps Clinic, headquarters in San Diego, stated, “Even among patients who were prescribed 1 to 18 sleeping pills per year, the risk of death was 3.6 times higher than among similar participants who did not take the medications. The study looked at patients aged 18 years and older, and found the increased risk in all age groups.”

It’s no secret that sleeping pills are popular among flight attendants across the globe. When you have your clock flip there’s sometimes no other option to fall sleep. So what does this say about flight attendants health-wise? Ellen Simonetti, a Delta Flight Attendant was quoted in Brian Finke’s “Flight Attendants”. Because she speaks German, right at hire Simonetti was awarded overseas routes from Orlando to Frankfurt. “We had a 24-hour layover, so the jet lag was really bad. A lot of flight attendants are addicted to sleeping pills.”

And it’s true. Not just that it’s used often and addictive, but it may just be necessary. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health published these results in a sleep study in June of 2000:

“Our observations indicate that FAs experience increased sleep disturbance, which may be an indicator of circadian rhythm disruption.”

What exactly does that mean? Web MD says, “The term circadian comes from Latin words that literally mean around the day. There are patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration, and other biological activities linked to this 24-hour cycle.

The circadian “clock” in humans is located mainly in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is a group of cells located in the hypothalamus (a portion of the brain). Circadian rhythms are important in determining human sleeping patterns.”

In other words, when your circadian rhythm is off you don’t reproduce cells as quickly-for healing, for youthful skin, and for a “fit” brain. It also can caused increased appetite, high cortisol levels that potentially block DHEA. Insufficient levels of DHEA contribute to fatigue, but are also associated with reduced muscle mass, bone loss, aching joints, decreased sex drive, impaired immune function, and depression. Boo!

With this recent study release, people are up in a frenzy. In the last 10 years it’s been estimated that sleeping pills such as Ambien and Lunesta have been prescribed at exponential rates, meaning more people than ever are taking prescription medication for sleep.

One doctor is adamant to educate the public about the risks. He published 35 years of research at
http://www.darksideofsleepingpills.com/
. Near the end of his web book, he states that more research needs to be done before people are allowed to take these medications, it’s a no-brainer.

Because of that small window of possibility created by the need for more research, in the meantime, sleeping pills continue to be ingested everywhere. At the CNN Health site, a post revealed industry criticism of the “conclusive” mortality risks. The primary argument: If we don’t know WHAT it is in a sleeping pill that creates this “likely” cancer or increased mortality risk, we can’t say for sure that it is truly the problem. Comments by the public are critical, too. People are frustrated that we’re talking about healthy and unhealthy people of such a wide range of variables- so saying an earlier death was caused by 18 pills of Ambien over 2 years? They say it’s preposterous.

My personal take? I am certain the drug companies are not in favor of research that conflicts with their bottom (financial) line. A lot of propaganda will be published to keep the public uncertain and therefore continue the use of their drugs. If enough of these studies are reflecting terrifying research results, it’s not a bad idea to readdress any sleeping stuggles and come up with a plan to naturally tackle the problem of sleeplessness.

As flight attendants, we ought to be begging for more search for our particular work group. The biggest resource I found was NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health); In partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Cancer Institute, the HHS Office of Women’s Health and the Department of Defense Women’s Health Research Program, NIOSH has established a program of research for the cabin crew occupational group. The few studies they’ve published can be found HERE. They don’t have any recent news about current studies and the last one published was on pilots in June 2011 and before that, in 2008.

With the new information posted about sleeping pills, flight attendants need to be analyzed and studied for the purpose to keep our work group informed, proactive, and educated. Furthermore, the isolated study of the use of sleeping pills will contribute to the overall conclusions on whether or not regular/intermittent use is, in fact, an extreme health hazard.

Do you agree? Do you want to know what the use of sleeping aids means for the lives of prescribed flight attendants? Call or shoot a quick email to NIOSH to remind them we’re eager to see more studies done and especially if you’d like to volunteer. We need to know more.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
800-CDC-INFO
(800-232-4636)
TTY: (888) 232-6348

8am-8pm ET/Monday-Friday
Closed Holidays

cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Fly safe, my friends.

So You Want To Become A Stewardess

But the question is; 

Do you have what it takes?

 

Many of us flight attendants get phone calls, emails, texts, facebook comments, youtube messages-you name it-asking about how to become a flight attendant.  

If I could offer a statistic on how many of those people who ask end up following up on their steps, I’d put it around 5%.  (On behalf of all my other flight attendant pals out there, we’d like you to know that we spend a lot of time answering inquiries about how to apply and what it’s like only to find they inquirer isn’t really THAT motivated.)  

We are so conditioned to receive a manual for everything, have a magazine tell us how to diet, a computer spit out all requirements for fulfillment of our college degree, legal documents with florescent tabs that tell us where to sign.  So when a flight attendant tells us we have to do research, fill out applications, wait months, maybe get a call, wait more months, maybe get a group interview, wait longer, maybe get a one-on-one interview, wait months for a training invite, offer fingerprints, background, drug testing, quit our lives for a month or more to attend a training usually out-of-state, pass all tests with 90% or above under stressful circumstances, test out the job for the first time while being watched and reviewed, maybe graduate, maybe start work soon, begin 6 month or more probation period which could result in termination if found unfit for the job-many people run the other direction in exhaustion over the instructions, alone.

Not running away? Okay, let’s save your flight attendant pal some time and give you some tips!

In order to apply, select your preferred airline, google their main website and click the “Careers” link.  
(Unlike most jobs, you will not have a number to call to try and speak to a manager, so you have to get filtered through the system-so yes, your resume must be dazzling in order to not get overlooked.) See if they have openings for Flight Crew.  If not, build a profile and sign up for email notifications when the position opens.  When you receive the email, APPLY IMMEDIATELY, as in most cases the opportunity does not remain open.  When I applied over 5 years ago my company told us in the group interview that they received 10,000 resumes a month-that’s when the applications were open.  In many cases, now they are restricted to a few hours a year so that should put it into perspective for you-getting an interview alone will be like winning the lottery.

It’s worth it, so do not be discouraged by the odds!

For help in selecting an airline to apply for, you have to identify priorities.  Do you want to be home more?  Don’t commute from another city.  See if an airline offers a base in your local airport.  Want to have job security?  Do your research.  Certain airlines are barely getting by, some have a history of furloughs, some are industry-leading and are consistently profitable.  

After you begin flying, the rumor about your life changing and it being very difficult in the first year is TRUE.  Airlines manage their employee’s schedules and pay scales based on seniority.  Since everyone is new at some point, they take the biggest scheduling blows.  You are at the mercy of the company, filling in all the holes regardless of your convenience or preference.  Of course, if it wasn’t survivable and worth the sacrifice, there wouldn’t be so many flight attendants and such fabulous retention.  Despite the initial struggles, once you get some new hires underneath you, the quality of life begins to improve.  Pay goes up, your schedule gets better, you get some more respect.  

This is of course assuming the economy allows for new people to be hired.  I spent over 2 years stuck at the same seniority during the distinct wake of the recession and some months wondering if I was safe from a furlough-you never know.

My strongest recommendation in your journey is to begin with a built back-up plan or ensure your support system is ready for you to need them.  This industry is unpredictable and there are many people who become a flight attendant without anything to fall back on, so when times are tough they are stricken with fear for their job.  You don’t want to be that person.  Understanding the age we live in and how ugly it can get for airlines will give you an advantage, there is no certainty.  

Of course, there’s a piece inside you that is thrilled by that uncertainty, otherwise you wouldn’t be inquiring about the job!  With this knowledge you have power.  Full speed ahead, my friends, “May the odds be ever in your favor”!

Welcome Aboard: Today’s Flight Will Be Operated by Insane People.

“Sometimes the airline won’t give us lunch breaks or even time to eat. We have to delay flights just so we can get food.” -First officer on a regional carrier

“The truth is, we’re exhausted. Our work rules allow us to be on duty 16 hours without a break. That’s many more hours than a truck driver. And unlike a truck driver, who can pull over at the next rest stop, we can’t pull over at the next cloud.” -Captain at a major airline

—Excerpts from Reader’s Digest: 50 Secrets Your Pilot Won’t Tell You

The airline industry is a whole different world. It’s more than the buzz of excitement where “not two days are alike”. We flight crew members pride ourselves on the simplicity of our tasks, the ease at which we can adventure as we please and the thrill of the unknown. However, the less considered factors take their toll.

There’s no ignoring the travel fatigue, alternating flight schedules, everlasting jetlag, frequent conflict-resolution encounters, nutritional deficiencies, good health/diet maintenance, illness exposure, on stage presence and unruly passenger demands, among SO MANY other things. In the industry, often times you will either get an earful from somebody who has had it up to here (hand fiercely up to head) with passengers or you will hear what I like to call, “The Denial Monologue”. It’s the 2-3 paragraph long speech about how easy our jobs are, how lucky we are, how no one understands how good we have it, so on and so forth. Not for a moment do I deny the wonderful aspects of being a flight crew employee, but you won’t hear me sing a song about how there are no compromises being made to have such a great gig.

It seems with the recent events with the American flight attendant’s hysterical rants, the Jet Blue Captain’s flight deck lockout while on duty, and our favorite Jet Blue Flight Attendant, Steven Slater, who executed a dramatic emergency slide exit-they aren’t about to deny the compromises, either.

How do we go from having a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed new hire to a crew member who’s gone completely bonkers? Furthermore, you may be wondering what exactly are the regulation standards on evaluating the mental and general health of those operating your flight?

The following is an excerpt from the FAA Code of Regulations:

3-1930 CREW MEDICAL QUALIFICATION AND PROCEDURES DURING TEMPORARY MEDICAL DEFICIENCY.

A. Responsibility of Operators and Flight crew Members. Title 14 CFR part 61, § 61.53 and 14 CFR part 63, § 63.19 preclude required flight crew members from flight duty while they have a known medical or physical deficiency. These sections rely solely on the ability of flight crew members to honestly determine their medical fitness. It is incumbent on individual airmen to be certain that they have no illness or physical impairment that would affect their medical fitness for flight. The NTSB believes that air carrier operators should share the responsibility for verifying flight crew members medical fitness for flight duty. However, it is not always easy for operators to determine the extent of a crewmember’s medical fitness. In order to maintain the highest level of safety, required flightcrew members must not fly under conditions that would make them unable to meet the requirements for their current medical certificate. This decision should not be influenced by fear of company reprisals.

B. POI Responsibility. POIs [principal operations inspectors] should encourage their assigned air carriers to have established sick leave policies and procedures, especially those concerning the release of flightcrew members from duty when they develop sudden temporary illnesses, such as colds, flu, or fevers. These policies and procedures should not discourage flightcrew members from taking sick leave when they are ill.

Did you catch that last part-about us not being discouraged by policies and procedures to take sick leave while ill? Truth be told, we are not only strongly discouraged but flight crew employees live in a fear of discipline leading up to termination over illness during their careers-particularly flight attendants. This is a never-ending battle between the employing airline and the crew employee. To put it simply; a flight attendant (or pilot) is just a number. No one will miss you and the operation will typically not suffer from your absence since your personal contributions are not essential to the function of the flight. Because of this, it is practically painless to claim illness behind a telephone line even when illness is not the case. This is called “Sick Leave Abuse”.

Sick Leave Abuse, if proved, will end your career.

Since the policies for airlines have to attempt be fair considering the impact of an ill crew member inflight, there is extensive gray area. This leaves a lot of room for people to abuse “Sick Leave” benefits, and you may have guessed by now, employees do.

The airlines spent exorbitant amounts of money compensating for the abuse. In an effort to manage the losses, the company theory is that the punishment has to be significant to scare away the abusers. Simultaneously, fear reverberates through the system, stress levels rise, illness spreads, and now you have the abusers at home pretending to be sick and the ill suffering through the job. As you can imagine, between all of this, there’s not a whole lot of opportunity for proper self-evaluation. When it comes down to it and we’re sick, we’ve stopped asking ourselves if we are “fit to fly”. Rather, we ask ourselves if we are so brutally ill to risk our jobs by waiting until recovered.

USA Today reported:

JetBlue and Transportation Security Administration officials described the pilot as having a medical condition.

The pilot, who has not been identified, was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital, officials said.

“Another Captain, traveling off duty on Flight 191, entered the flight deck prior to landing at Amarillo, and took over the duties of the ill crewmember once on the ground,” the company said in a statement. “The aircraft arrived Amarillo at 10:11 a.m., and the crewmember was removed from the aircraft and taken to a local medical facility.”

The newspaper quotes TSA spokesman Luis Casanova as saying it “seems to be more of a medical issue than a security issue at this point.

And on with the mental instability….

American Airlines Flight Disruption Blamed on ‘Mental Episode’

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-13/american-airlines-flight-disruption-blamed-on-mental-episode-.html

I quote,
Flight 2332 to Chicago was preparing to take off with 144 passengers and five crew, when the attendant’s behavior prompted a return to the airport gate. Airport police said have said they wouldn’t seek state criminal charges.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents 17,000 American employees, said today it makes mental health professionals available to help members deal with an “increasingly demanding and stressful” profession and that such instances are rare.

As you can see, there is even more going on than just jet fuel and security concerns onboard. The flight crew is not on vacation at work. Both sides are just head above water, trying to make the best of a difficult situation.

Family and friends of inflight employees can empathize with the challenges of frequent absenteeism at home. Any one who knows a crew member closely has an idea of the unusual and frequent stressors presented.

This is NOT an easy lifestyle, despite the easy tasks in an uneventful day-
Oh how we love those!

Despite all the scary psychotic breaks popping up, I’m really thankful that Southwest Airlines has been consistently positive. It seems only right that there be an industry leader to represent vibrance and positive culture.

Treat yourself to some sun-shiney inflight news:
http://www.businessinsider.com/this-airlines-flight-attendants-vow-planes-full-of-people-by-singing-2012-3

To my fellow crew members out there, I wish you well and great health. Please call out if you are sick, especially in the head.

A blog I recommend to blow off some steam:
http://rantsofasassystew.com/

Great Video on a Hotel Room Workout

Below is a link for a hotel room workout that cover some solid basics and will give you some focus-whilst not being a huge commitment and without having to brave the claustrophobic hotel gyms with the bored men who came just to hope to see someone sweating in spandex!

The “Best” Hotel Room Workout

I Am Binge Eating Right Now

This post is essential; it needs to pop up when it’s googled because it is a very common, relatable epidemic and there isn’t much out there for the men and women suffering from it in the moment.

When I was 30 lbs heavier (and overweight) than I am now, my problem was not my thyroid, it was not the side affect to a medication, it was not due to an injury or disability.  It was due to what is commonly referred to as “Emotional Eating”, more specifically for me it was anxiety.

Anxiety sounds like a harsh word, especially on the ears of those who haven’t researched much about it.  My awareness of anxiety didn’t appear until I was in the final stages of a toxic (unhealthy) relationship at 21 and my doc explained that that’s what the tightening in my chest was.  Some people respond to stress by starving, but this particular post is not for them.

This post is for the people who turn to food when there’s a void to be filled and nothing at the fingertips will do the trick. Not the remote, the shower, the jog, the ever-elusive meditative state.  It’s just food.  Why?  Because food is abundant.  Because when we eat certain foods we’ve had our brains flooded with happy hormones (a natural high) and we want that again.  Because eating preoccupies you.  Even when the refrigerator is empty, you still have keys to go to the store.  Pizza is a few browser clicks away.  Somewhere, SOME WHERE you can find more food.

We seek the abundance because binge eating is an activity for distraction-not a solution.  It’s a black hole of eating until you feel sick or impossibly full or you find a new distraction.  Conclusively, whatever started it has not been resolved, it has just been aggressively (and regrettably) evaded.

This may help; (copied from maintainweightforever.com)

Below you’ll find 20 ways to stop overeating right now! If you’re  binge eating today, this article still applies to you – it’s never too late to stop! Continuing will only make things worse when you weigh or measure yourself later.

1. Deep Breathing – Slow down and remain calm. Soon you’ll be able to think more clearly.
2. Drink Water – Fill your stomach so there’s less/no room for food.
3. Face Your Fear – Overeating to ease stress won’t help. Your problems will still be there!
4. Exercise – You’ll feel so good that you won’t want to ruin your mood by overeating.
5. Walk It Off – The fresh air and good weather will ease any stress.
6. Ditch The Temptation – Throw out any tempting food. Next time, buy one piece of it or go without.
7. Be Rewarded – Outline the rewards you’ll get for not overeating e.g. new shoes if you don’t binge for two weeks.
8. Save Money – Binge eating is expensive. Remember your finances before you clear out the fridge!
9. Motivate Yourself – Find out how success stories and collages will motivate you to success.
10. The Best Seasoning Ever – Hunger. True hunger. Food tastes great when you’re hungry.
11. Dear Binge Eater – Write an ‘I promise not to overeat‘ letter to yourself. Read it everyday.
12. Count Calories – Tracking your calorie intake makes you accountable. There’s nowhere to hide!
13. Feel Good Now, Feel Bad Later - Overeating feels good now, but you’ll regret it later.
14. Imagine The Scale – Overeat today and the scale WILL rise tomorrow. You’ll be further from your goal weight!
15. Dear Diary – Update your diary or journal. Venting your frustrations makes them easier to resolve.
16. Support Groups – There’s always someone else who’s been there. Don’t be afraid to get help!
17. Diet Break – Take a break from weight loss or weight gain until you’ve improved your relationship with food.
18. Hate The Fat – Write down/look over every reason why you HATE being fat.
19. Love The Fit – Write down/look over every reason why you LOVE being fit, healthy, and slim.
20. Binge Tomorrow Instead – Stay on track today, overeat tomorrow. Remember, tomorrow never comes…  

If those things didn’t help, don’t be hard on yourself.  It is not a simple task to stop.  However, take some time to acknowledge it- that is what brought you to this post, isn’t it?

In order to change a behavior, initially, you must acknowledge that it exists.  Indeed, this is the hardest part.

Secondly, identify the trigger.  Can’t source it?  That’s okay, too.  Instead, allow yourself to have some thoughts, compulsive binging is a distraction because you’re trying not to feel.  Start up that mental dialogue again without including self-hating remarks.  Compliment yourself.

Pull out a sheet of paper and write down the top 10 things you are most grateful for in your life.*  This will only take moments and will shift the mindset out of negativity or feeling out of balance.  A few seconds of acknowledgment and giving thanks will always lift your spirit.  *Note: I often offer this practice to fearful fliers in turbulence and the feedback has always been very positive.

Evaluate yourself; how effective was that tool?  Did you beat yourself up or did you fight the negativity away?  Did you lose focus when your compulsion wanted to steal you away?

If you experienced a moment of peace, examine how that was delivered to you.  Was it acknowledgement?  Was it being appreciative or being focused on what you have?

If you felt at war with yourself and didn’t win this particular battle, it doesn’t mean you are a branded to binge eat forever.  It means that today was just the day you googled searched for your first seed to be planted for healing.  That, in itself, is a tremendous milestone.

If you are still feeling anxious, use some of that energy to find a counselor.  Counselors are well-versed in taking you through the resolution for these challenges.  They are indifferent and might be the only person you can interact with that won’t judge you, take your comments personally, or make you feel worse than you already do.  They will let you know that you are 100% valid in your feelings and create a customized plan for you to make your life healthier and happier. I showed you just one way to address it but many need a solution to be tailored to them to quit binging.

My heart and well wishes are with you.

-The Food Attendant

A CBS article about the validity of Binge Eating Disorder

This year will be year 4 The Food Attend

This year will be year 4 The Food Attendant goes to Camp Do More. U going? This will be priceless!
http://ow.ly/9nsqz
#turbocamp #domore

Delicious Airplane Invention

Folks, you can try it at home-but it just won’t be the same!