The Signal, Volume 17, Issue 3

Optimal Hydration
Submitted by CDR Tina Lankford

As the weather gets warmer, both inactive and active individuals should examine their daily fluid intake. Being mindful about the ingredients of your favorite thirst quencher can help you both properly hydrate and watch your calorie intake. In normal temperatures, the average person who does little or no activity should drink at least 8 glasses of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages daily. Warm weather and exercise place even higher demands on the body and will require additional fluid intake. While exercising, about two cups (one pound) of sweat is lost for every 300 calories of heat dissipated.

How can you monitor for dehydration?

How can you avoid heat illness?
The warmer you get the more your body sweats. As this sweat evaporates, your body gets cooler. However as the weather gets more humid, sweat doesn’t evaporate as well and your body’s internal temperature begins to rise. Heat illness will cause you to feel tired, muscles that feel weak, dizziness, nausea, vomiting or headache. If you recognize these symptoms, move into shade and hydrate as soon as possible with a sport drink or water with salt to prevent further damage.

ACOA Hosts Visit by Authors of the PHS Officers Guide
Submitted by CDR Bruce Tierney

On Thursday, March 15, 2007, the Atlanta Commissioned Officers Association was pleased to welcome CAPT James E. Knoben (ret.) and CDR Alice D. Knoben to Atlanta as part of the ongoing ACOA Lunch & Learn series. This husband and wife team co-authored the USPHS Officer’s Guide: Protocol & Service Standards. Both authors are pharmacists by training. CAPT Knoben also received an MPH from Yale University and served for 33 1/2 years on active duty with the PHS. During his time in the PHS, CAPT Knoben served for 12 years as the Director of the Division of Drug Information Resources at the FDA, and, most recently, for 7 years as the Special Assistant to the Associate Director at the National Library of Medicine. He also currently serves as the Co-Executive Director of the USPHS Music Ensemble. CDR Knoben is a Senior Regulatory Management Officer in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at FDA and actively participates on various PHS boards, as well as being an original member of the USPHS Music Ensemble. She also works a half day each week at the National Naval Medical Center.

The authors took time from their schedule in Atlanta, where they were both attending the national meeting of the American Pharmacists Association, to give a presentation to Atlanta-area Commissioned Corps officers about PHS protocol. Officers attending the session also had the opportunity to have their books signed by the authors. In addition, each officer received a certificate of completion for training in PHS protocol signed by RADM Denise Canton, the Director of the Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management.

Following the presentation, the authors were recognized with the presentation of a certificate of appreciation from ACOA and a PHS flag desk set. The authors also announced that there would be a series of video lectures on PHS protocol produced by the Public Health Service and made available in the near future for officers who did not have the opportunity to attend this presentation.

Copies of the protocol guide have been made available at no charge (one copy per officer) by the Commissioned Officers Foundation and are being distributed by the Atlanta COA to Atlanta-area officers. Officers located in areas other than Atlanta may be able to receive a copy from their local COA branch, if available, or they can contact National COA. Atlanta-area officers who have not yet received a copy can contact one of the officers noted in the announcement above.

CDR Bruce Tierney, ACOA President (center), presents certificates of appreciation and PHS Flag desk sets to the authors of the USPHS Officer’s Guide, CDR Alice Knoben (left) and CAPT James Knoben (ret.) (right), following their presentation of USPHS Protocols at an ACOA Lunch and Learn on March 15, 2007.

ACOA at Federal Fitness Day

CDC celebrated Federal Fitness Day by holding a Walk, Run, Roll Event at Century Center, Atlanta, GA on May 16, 2007. The participants enjoyed the nice weather while walking or running the 1-mile course. ACOA assisted with the event by providing four volunteers: CAPT Michael Campsmith, LCDR Amanda Dunnick, LT Steve Miller, and LT Jay Wamsley. All of the ACOA volunteers served as directional guides for the event. Water, bagels, and bananas were provided to all of the event participants. Thanks to these officers for their continued support to ACOA, CDC and fitness!

Basic Readiness – More Basic than Ever
Submitted by LT Steve Miller

Current Recurring Requirements
The most current regulation covering Force Readiness is Personnel Policy Memorandum, (PPM) 07-001, Extension of Manual Circular (MC) 377, dated 3 November 2006. PPM 07-001 extends MC 377 from 2 July 2004 until 30 June 2007. According to these regulations, once an officer initially meets all the requirements for the Basic Level, there are 6 recurring requirements for non-clinical officers and 7 recurring requirements for officers in clinical deployment roles. Remember that documentation for many of the requirements must be sent to Medical Affairs Branch, as well as recorded in your Officer Summary Page on the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD) website. For specific information about each requirement, refer to MC 377 and PPM 07-001; they can be found on the on the OFRD website. The following list includes all the requirements for simplicity’s sake, so ignore the fourth annual requirement if you are not in a clinical deployment role:

The quarterly requirement to meet basic readiness is:

Proposed changes to the physical fitness standards include the removal of the Active Lifestyle Award as a qualifying program. The only alternative to taking the APFT, for officers who do not have a medical waiver from MAB, will be to join the Presidential Champions Award program and earn a minimum of 36,000 points every 12 months. The 36,000 yearly points may only be earned by performing activities from an “Approved Activities List”.

For further information about Readiness and Deployment, visit the CDC Commissioned Corps Personnel Office website or the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment website.

Questions, or comments, regarding Force Readiness issues may be addressed to LT Steve Miller, Readiness Coordinator in the CDC Commissioned Corps Personnel Office, at 770.488.1869.

Exchanges Encourage Students
Reprint submitted by CDR Larry Cseh

Military Report - The Military Community's FREE Weekly Benefits & Quality Of Life Newsletter, Monday, 19 February, 2007

Military children worldwide are participating in the Army and Air Force Exchange Service's "You Made the Grade" program, which is designed to recognize above-average academic achievement. Qualifying students receive a coupon booklet that includes free admission to an AAFES Reel Time Theater, a complimentary slice of Anthony's pizza with drink, and a free magazine, as well as other coupons. Students simply present a valid military ID card and proof of an overall "B" or better average to their local exchange to receive their booklet. Students may receive one coupon package for every qualifying report card they receive. Military families can contact their local AAFES main store manager for more information.

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Record Turn Out for the EIS Prediction Run APFT
Submitted by LCDR Amanda Dunnick

Saturday, April 17, 2007 was a gorgeous spring day, perfect for the annual EIS Prediction Run and Annual Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The EIS Prediction Run is a 2 mile fun run/walk, where the winner accurately predicts how long they will take to finish the course. PHS Commissioned Corps officers also had the opportunity to count their time for the Annual Physical Fitness Test (APFT). The APFT is a 1.5 mile event and was part of the 2 mile EIS Prediction Run. The APFT also requires push-ups and sit-ups or side-bridge within 2 hours of the run, and these events were administered after the EIS Prediction Run.

There was a record turn out, with 78 officers participating in the APFT! All of the officers enjoyed the camaraderie in completing the physical fitness portion of the basic readiness standards. ACOA would like to thank all of volunteers for this event as this could not have been completed without your help.


LCDR Adam Cohen assists LCDR Jacek Skarbinski with the sit-up portion of the APFT, while LCDR Meredith McMorrow and LCDR Cohen's daughter Lucy cheer them on.	Stanley Wei watches the clock for Johnny Yates, as CAPT Doug Hamilton, their future supervisor, looks on.

Need a Smoke? Take a Walk!
Reprint submitted by CAPT Daniel Cline

Study: Quick Walks May Help Smokers Quit
By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

As little as five minutes of exercise could help smokers quit, says a new study. Research published in the international medical journal Addiction showed that moderate exercise, such as walking, significantly reduced the intensity of smokers' nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

"If we found the same effects in a drug, it would immediately be sold as an aid to help people quit smoking," said Dr. Adrian Taylor, the study's lead author and professor of exercise and health psychology at the University of Exeter.

Taylor and colleagues reviewed 12 papers looking at the connection between exercise and nicotine deprivation. They focused on exercises that could be done outside a gym, such as walking and isometrics, or the flexing and tensing of muscles. According to their research, just five minutes of exercise was often enough to help smokers overcome their immediate need for a nicotine fix.

After various types of moderate physical exertion, researchers asked people to rate their need for a cigarette. People who had exercised reported reduced a desire.
"What's surprising is the strength of the effect," said Dr. Robert West, professor of health psychology at University College London. West was not involved in the review. "They found that the acute effects of exercise were as effective as a nicotine patch," he said.
West cautioned that it was unknown how long the effects of exercise would last. "You could in theory use exercise to deal with short bouts of nicotine cravings, but we don't know if it would help in the longer term," he said. It is likely that exercise would have to be combined with a larger strategy of other anti-smoking techniques to be successful in helping people quit.

Nearly anything that distracts people from smoking is thought to help, but scientists have long suspected that exercise might have a more potent effect. Taylor theorized that exercise could produce the mood-enhancing hormone dopamine, which could, in turn, reduce smokers' nicotine dependence.

Still, experts were not convinced about the study's practical applications. "Doctors can tell patients to do things until they're blue in the face, but the limiting factor may be getting people to actually take up exercise," said Dr. Peter Hajek, professor of clinical psychology at Queen Mary University Hospital in London. Hajek was not involved in the study.

Hajek said that if people were taught simple exercises, including isometric exercises they could do at their desk, they could potentially stave off their need for a cigarette break. "When you are dying for a cigarette, you can try to exercise instead," he said.


LCDR Amanda Dunnick (left), LT Steve Miller (middle), and LT Jay Wamsley (left) prepare to provide directions to Federal Fitness Day participants.	ACOA volunteer CAPT Michael Campsmith (in black cap) assists Federal Fitness Day walkers at the crosswalk.	LCDR Amanda Dunnick gives directions to Federal Fitness Day participants.


ACOA volunteers LCDR Amanda Dunnick and LT Steve Miller sign in officers for the 2007 EIS Prediction Run	In a record turn out, 78 officers toe the line at the start of the 2007 EIS Prediction Run.


USPHS full-size flag	US/USPHS miniature flag desk set