Staying healthy: Balance your diet, follow some simple tips, and learn where to find expert advice

Simple tips to follow

The easiest way to try to prevent bleeds and/or their consequences is to keep up basic good habits. You may already be practicing or encouraging some positive routines. Below are some simple tips that can help you or your child stay healthy and active.

• Exercise at least 3 times a week, or as advised by an orthopedist and physical therapist
• Maintain an ideal body weight
• Get a good night's sleep as often as possible
• Always wear a seatbelt
• Maintain an infusion log (calendar) that shows the date and time of infusion, reason for infusion, product name and lot number, and dosage
• Reorder factor therapy before it runs out
• Make sure your local hospital has your/your child's factor therapy on hand, just in case
• Infuse before an activity that may put extra stress on the body
• Always wear a medical alert tag
• Carry a letter from your/your child's doctor stating the type and severity of hemophilia you or your child has and describing your/your child's treatment needs

Eating right

Part of staying fit includes eating right—maintaining a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Staying at a healthy weight is important for anyone with hemophilia, not just for children. Being overweight can put additional pressure and stress on joints, such as knees and ankles. The additional pressure and stress can cause damage to the padding between the joints (cartilage). Over time, a person can develop a painful, mobility-limiting joint condition called arthritis.

Check with the local hemophilia treatment center (HTC) or your local chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) for more information about nutrition and health.

Comprehensive care

HTCs provide comprehensive care for people with bleeding disorders. They attend to patients' and caregivers' medical, social, and emotional needs. Located all over the United States and sometimes internationally, HTCs can provide many services that a doctor's practice doesn't provide, including supply and delivery of factor, home infusion education, dental care, home visits by social workers, and insurance counseling. HTCs employ many types of specialists who work together to meet the complex challenges a person with a bleeding disorder may encounter.

Here are some things an HTC can provide:

• Providing or arranging for a physical exam once a year; check-up of joints, bones, and muscles; and a physical therapy check-up
• Dental visit every 6 months
• Blood tests and x-rays
• Financial and/or emotional counseling with a social worker
• Genetic counseling for potential parents
• Education
• Contact with local doctors and hospitals

To locate an HTC near you, contact HANDI, the informational branch of the NHF, at 1-800-42-HANDI (800-424-2634) or visit their Web site at www.hemophilia.org.