An American Pet Products Manufacturers Association survey of businesses allowing pets in the workplace confirmed the benefits:

• 73 percent of the companies surveyed said pets create a more productive work environment.
• 27 percent reported a decrease in employee absenteeism.
• 73 percent indicated pets led to a more productive work environment.
• 96 percent said pets created positive work relations.
• 58 percent of employees stayed late with pets in the office.

Half of all American households have at least one dog or cat - pets they treat as family members. A pet-friendly policy is a logical component of a comprehensive program to help employees maintain work-life balance. Allowing pets in the workplace helps reduce stress and anxiety. Employees don't have to worry or feel guilty about leaving their pet home alone. They aren't under pressure to rush home and walk their dog at the end of the day.

The benefits of welcoming pets at work aren't limited to dog owners. Businesses that have a pet-friendly policy say it improves the atmosphere for all employees, especially at companies where people work long hours or sit at a computer all day. With pets on the premises, employees are encouraged to take a break once in while to play with one of the office dogs. It's a stress reliever and morale-booster for everyone.

Pet-friendly policies vary by company, but they usually include several basic components: the needs of people who have allergies or don't want to work near animals should be accommodated; pets must be kept on leash or under control; pets must housebroken, and employees must clean up after their pet outside.

Reprinted from the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

New research advocates napping on the job. It argues, in so many words, that snatching a few zzzzs during the workday makes ergonomic sense as a means of boosting overall productivity and safety. And other recent research suggests napping is good for the heart.
Sara Mednick, Ph.D., a research psychologist at the Salk Institute at the University of California, and Mark Ehrman have written a book about the research into napping, and it devotes some sections to detailing how to do it to best advantage. Called, "Take a Nap! Change your Life," it talks about studies that show sleepy workers have more accidents, are less productive and are more prone to health and morale problems. It follows that any healthy way to reduce drowsiness on the job will benefit an employer - and employee - on several fronts.
Sleep and fatigue are much studied human factors. Researchers at NASA report that a nap of 26 minutes can boost performance by as much as 34 percent. And a 2006 study from the Stanford University School of Medicine found that napping resulted in improved mood, increased alertness and reduced lapses in performance among doctors and nurses.
Describing the research on her website, Dr. Mednick said it is devoted to understanding how napping can improve human performance. Using new technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), she can pinpoint the areas of the brain that underlie these improvements.
In an interview with the Gannett News Service in an article about the book, Dr. Mednick said that not only do American workers need to take a nap, their companies should require it. She explained that employers who provide a place for a nap will reap the rewards many times over with more creative and efficient employees.
And other recent napping research is a ringing endorsement for its health benefits.
United States and Greek researchers reported in the February 12 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine that people who regularly took siestas - defined by the researchers as napping at least three times per week for an average of at least 30 minutes - had a 37-percent lower coronary mortality than those not taking siestas.
According to United Press International, which reported on the findings, lead author Androniki Naska of University of Athens Medical School and senior author Dimitrios Trichopoulos of the Harvard School of Public Health looked at 23,681 individuals living in Greece who, at the beginning of the study, had no history of coronary heart disease, stroke or cancer. They followed the study participants for an average of 6.3 years.
Siestas are common in the Mediterranean region and several Latin American countries, and those countries also tend to have low mortality rates of coronary heart disease. Attempts to link siestas and heart health scientifically, however, had produced conflicting results until the Naska-Trichopoulo study. The researchers say their is the first large prospective study of individuals who were healthy at enrollment and the first study to control for risk factors such as diet and physical activity. These research constraints helped eliminated inconsistencies.
It remains to be seen if the research can persuade employers that laziness and napping on the job are not the same.

Source: Dr. Sara Mednick web; Gannett News Service; United Press International

Recent severe weather has been stressful and anxiety-provoking for many people in our area. Children can be especially affected when they have experienced a disaster or even watched television coverage of such events. The following article by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry gives some insight into how children experience the trauma of a disaster.

"A catastrophe such as an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, fire, flood, or violent acts is frightening to children and adults alike. It is important to acknowledge the frightening parts of the disaster when talking with a child about it. Falsely minimizing the danger will not end a child's concerns. Several factors affect a child's response to a disaster.

The way children see and understand their parents' responses are very important. Children are aware of their parents' worries most of the time, but they are particularly sensitive during a crisis. Parents should admit their concerns to their children, and also stress their abilities to cope with the situation.

A child's reaction also depends on how much destruction and/or death he or she sees during and after the disaster. If a friend or family member has been killed or seriously injured, or if the child's school or home has been severely damaged, there is a greater chance that the child will experience difficulties.

A child's age affects how the child will respond to the disaster. For example, six-year-olds may show their worries about a catastrophe by refusing to attend school, whereas adolescents may minimize their concerns, but argue more with parents and show a decline in school performance. It is important to explain the event in words the child can understand.

Following a disaster, people may develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is psychological damage that can result from experiencing, witnessing, or participating in an overwhelmingly traumatic (frightening) event.

Children with this disorder have repeated episodes in which they re-experience the traumatic event. Children often relive the trauma through repetitive play. In young children, upsetting dreams of the traumatic event may change into nightmares of monsters, of rescuing others, or of threats to self or others. PTSD rarely appears during the trauma itself. Though its symptoms can occur soon after the event, the disorder often surfaces several months or even years later.

Parents should be alert to these changes in a child's behavior:

• Refusal to return to school and "clinging" behavior, including shadowing the mother or father around the house. Persistent fears related to the catastrophe (such as fears about being permanently separated from parents)
• Sleep disturbances such as nightmares, screaming during sleep and bedwetting, persisting more than several days after the event
• Loss of concentration and irritability
• Startled easily, jumpy
• Behavior problems, for example, misbehaving in school or at home in ways that are not typical for the child
• Physical complaints (stomachaches, headaches, dizziness) for which a physical cause cannot be found 
• Withdrawal from family and friends, sadness, listlessness, decreased activity, and preoccupation with the events of the disaster

Professional advice or treatment for children affected by a disaster--especially those who have witnessed destruction, injury or death--can help prevent or minimize PTSD. Parents who are concerned about their children can ask their pediatrician or family doctor to refer them to a child and adolescent psychiatrist."

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Some medicines can make the body overheat.  This is common during hot and humid weather.  This is called a heat-related illness.  It can cause death if not treated.  Some medical conditions make this worse.

Warning signs of heat exhaustion include:

• Heavy sweating
• Paleness
• Muscle cramps
• Tiredness
• Weakness, Dizziness, Headache
• Nausea, Vomiting
• Fainting

These medications can decrease your body’s response to heat.