HealthyLife Articles

Category: Uncategorized

Float Away Stress

Stress Management

Imagine yourself effortlessly floating in water that’s about 93.5ºF-not too hot, not too cold. You’re in total darkness. All is silent except for the comforting sounds of your own breathing. In this pleasurable and totally stress-free environment, every muscle feels deeply relaxed. Your thoughts wander, but you don’t really think about much of anything.

What you’re experiencing is R.E.S.T. (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy)-more commonly known as flotation therapy. In this stimulus-free setting, your heart and breathing slow down, muscle tension dissolves, and stressful feelings disappear. To achieve this state of bliss, all you have to do is sign up for a session in a float tank at a flotation center. The tank is slightly longer than a bathtub and contains very salty water that allows you to effortlessly float on your back. Some tanks have no lighting or sound; others are in a room that is dimly lit and has recorded music of your choice piped in. Float sessions last for an hour or so.

Flotation has benefits other than reducing stress.

* Listening to instructional tapes while floating can sharpen learning skills.

* Flotation can help to control blood pressure.

* Regular flotation sessions can help to alleviate arthritic pain, other types of chronic pain, and nausea resulting from chemotherapy.

Note: Flotation may not be appropriate for everyone. Anyone who is being treated for a mental health problem should check with his or her therapist before considering flotation therapy.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Spirituality Can Help You Cope

Stress Management

Connect with your spiritual self.

In general, spirituality is a path to finding purpose, meaning, inner peace, and hope in life. It involves your personal values and how you relate to others. For some people, spirituality includes an organized religion with its set of beliefs, symbols, and rituals. For others it is being connected to nature or believing in a power greater than oneself. Spirituality can give deeper meaning to life and help you focus on what really matters.

Ways people find strength in spirituality during times of stress or a crisis:

* Prayer

* Meditating

* Expressing their thoughts and feelings in a journal

* Counting their blessings

* Forgiving and healing

* Reaching out to help others

* Practicing and receiving unconditional love

* Attending a place of worship. This can provide a sense of community and shared purpose, as well as support and understanding.

* Connecting to a higher power

Spirituality can help you lead a healthier life.

Several studies have shown that people with strong religious and spiritual beliefs:

* Have a stronger immune system

* Have lower blood pressure

* Have less anxiety and depression

* Are better able to deal with arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses

* Heal faster from surgery

* Recover from drug addiction faster and are better able to abstain from substance abuse. Self-help programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) use spiritual messages in their 12-step recovery process.

Action Step

Pastoral counselors can help with mental health and spiritual concerns. Find a pastored counselor in your area fromwww.aapc.org.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Your Morning Ritual

Stress Management

Starting your day with a race to get ready might be part of your routine, but it’s not doing the rest of your day any favors. A morning ritual, on the other hand, can start your day with calm, focus, and intention. It makes you more proactive, helps you manage your emotions, and implements powerful and productive habits.

Try starting off with a ritual, instead of a reaction, to help set a calm and positive tone for the rest of your day.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Accident-Free Boating

Personal Safety

If you enjoy sailing, motor boating, rowing, canoeing, or kayaking, “safety first” can make boating accident-free. Keep in mind the following:

* Learn how to navigate and maintain your watercraft. The whole family should take a boating safety class.

* Be sure your boat is equipped with safety and rescue gear. By law, you must have a personal flotation device (life jacket) for each person on board. And it’s a good idea for passengers of all ages, swimmers and nonswimmers alike, to wear them. Many adults who can swim are knocked unconscious, then fall overboard and drown because they’re not wearing a flotation device.

* Don’t overload your boat. Know the passenger limit and stick to it.

* Know your limits. Exposure to bright sunlight, heat, boat motion, vibration from a motor, and noise can leave you stressed and fatigued. After 4 hours on the water, your reaction time is considerably slower than when you started out. So allow plenty of time for maneuvers, keep your distance from other crafts, and head for shore before you get tired.

* Pay attention to the weather. Head back to shore-or don’t go out-if a storm threatens.

* Don’t drink and navigate. Drinking alcohol while boating reduces reaction time, dulls vision, and impairs judgment. As with autos, half of all boating accidents are alcohol-related. If you must drink, wait until the boat is docked.

* Tell someone on shore where you’re headed and when you expect to return. If you’re delayed due to a storm or breakdown, they can send someone to rescue you.

* If you’re towing a water-skier, the law requires that someone in the boat observes the person in tow.

* If your boat capsizes, stay with it. Don’t try to swim to shore. You may overestimate your swimming skills.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Codependency

Mental Health

Codependency describes someone who becomes the “caretaker” of an addicted or troubled person. The person can be addicted to alcohol, drugs, or gambling. He or she can be troubled by a physical or mental illness. A codependent can be the person’s spouse, lover, child, parent, sibling, coworker, or friend.

Signs & Symptoms

A codependent does these things:

* Enables or allows the person to continue his or her destructive course and denies that the person has a problem.

* Rescues or makes excuses for the person’s behavior.

* Takes care of all household chores, money matters, etc.

* Rationalizes that the person’s behavior is normal by simply letting it take place. The codependent may take part in the same behavior as the addicted or troubled person.

* Acts like a hero or becomes the “super person” to maintain the family image.

* Blames the person and makes him or her the scapegoat for all problems.

* Withdraws from the family and acts like he or she doesn’t care.

Causes

A person is more likely to become codependent if he or she:

* Consistently puts other people’s wants and needs before his or her own.

* Is afraid of being hurt and/or rejected by others. Is afraid of hurting others’ feelings.

* Has low self-esteem or has a self-esteem tied to what is done for others.

* Expects too much of himself or herself and others.

* Feels overly responsible for others’ behaviors and feelings.

* Does not think it is okay to ask for help.

Treatment

Most codependents do not realize they have a problem. They think they are helping the troubled person, but they are not.

The first step in treatment is to admit to the problem. Self-care and counseling treat codependency. For many people, self-care is not easy to do without the help of a counselor.

Questions to Ask

Self-Care / Prevention

* Read books and online information on codependency. You may find you identify with what you read and gain understanding.

* Focus on these 3 Cs:

– You did not cause the other person’s problem.

– You can’t control the other person.

– You can’t cure the problem.

* Don’t lie or make excuses. Don’t cover up for the person’s drinking or other problem. Admit that this way of living is not normal. Accept that the troubled person has a real problem and needs professional help.

* Refuse to come to the person’s aid. Every time you bail the person out of trouble, you reinforce their helplessness and your hopelessness.

* Get help for physical, verbal, and/or sexual abuse. For information, contact: National Domestic Violence Hotline 800.799.SAFE (799.7233).

* Join a support group for codependents. Examples are self-help groups for family and friends of substance abusers, such as Al-Anon and Alateen. For information, contact: AL-ANON / ALATEEN Family Group Headquarters, Inc., 888.4AL-ANON (425.2666)www.al-anon.org.

* Continue with your normal family routines. For example, include a drinker when he/she is sober.

* Focus on your own feelings, desires, and needs. Vent negative thoughts in healthy ways. Do what is good for your own well-being.

* Set limits on what you will and won’t do. Be firm and stick to your limits.

* Explore new interests. Find diversions from your loved one’s problem.

* Be responsible for yourself and others in the family to live a better life. Do this whether your loved one recovers or not.

Resources

Mental Health America

800.969.6642

www.mentalhealthamerica.net

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Problem Gambling

Mental Health

Problem gambling occurs when gambling can’t be controlled. It may follow years of social gambling, and be set into motion by a stressful event or greater exposure to gambling.

When gambling interferes with a person’s daily life, it’s a problem. Responsible gambling is when you play a game for money or place a bet with family and friends and are able to set a limit based on what you can afford. And then you stick to that limit.

Online gambling, including sports betting, is on the rise. Online gambling sites lure betters with a sign up bonus of $50 or more and tell you to play “just for the fun of it.”

If you have a problem with gambling, get help! Call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700 to connect with the helpline services for the state you are calling from. Or chat atncpgambling.org/chatfor free, confidential help.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Overhauling Your Medicine Cabinet

Medication

Take everything out of the medicine cabinet.

* Check expiration dates. Throw out all outdated medicines. If you’re not sure about a certain item, call your pharmacist. Ask what the shelf life is.

* Discard old tubes of cream that are hardened or cracked. Throw out any liquid medicines that look cloudy or filmy.

* If medications are not in original containers and clearly labeled, throw them away. Some medicines come in tinted glass, for example, because exposure to light may cause them to deteriorate.

* Every medication is a potential poison. If there are children in the house, keep all medicines and vitamins locked in a high cabinet, well out of their reach.

* Activated charcoal and syrup of ipecac are not advised for home use for swallowed poisons. Call the Poison Control Center at 800.222.1222 for advice.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Disappearing Hair: Know About Alopecia

SELF-CARE CORNER

Hair loss is a normal part of life and aging. The average person loses 100 strands of hair from their scalp every day. Usually, these hairs grow back as part of a hair follicle’s lifecycle.

However, as people get older, hair loss usually outpaces hair regrowth. In addition, some people may be susceptible to losing their hair early in life.

Alopecia, another name for hair loss, can be frustrating, embarrassing, and tough to manage. But, there may be options available to slow, halt, or reduce the appearance of thinning hair.

Causes of alopecia

There are many different types of alopecia, each with a different cause.

For example, androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as pattern baldness, is linked to your genetics. If your dad or mom experienced pattern baldness, the likelihood is you will too.

Other causes include:

* Aging

* Genetics

* Hormones

* Stress

* Thyroid dysfunction

* Medications

* Chemical hair treatments

* Autoimmune reactions

Treatment options

The best way to manage hair loss depends on the cause. While some forms of alopecia may be slowed or halted, others are irreversible. Your medical doctor or dermatologist is your best resource when exploring treatments for alopecia.

Options may include:

* Topical medications or shampoos

* Oral medications

* Corticosteroid injections

* Hair transplant

* Wigs or hairpieces

Caring for your hair

How you treat your hair may contribute to alopecia in some cases. The better care you take of the hair you have, the healthier it will be.

* Use a gentle shampoo that won’t remove moisture from your hair.

* Apply conditioner after every shampoo.

* Limit how long and how often you blow-dry your hair.

* Avoid wearing your hair in a tight bun, ponytail, or braid.

* Brush or comb your hair gently. Avoid tugging.

If you are dealing with alopecia, talk to your doctor to find out the cause and discuss the best treatment options for you.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Keeping An Eye Out For Retinal Detachment

SELF-CARE CORNER

Retinal detachment means your retina is pulled away from its normal position at the back of your eye. If a retinal detachment happens, it is a medical emergency. It can cause permanent vision loss.

See the signs

Retinal detachment may cause symptoms that come on suddenly. You may see things like:

* A lot of gray or black “floaters” that look like squiggly lines or specks of dirt

* Flashes of bright light

* A dark area or shadow

Will it happen to me?

Retinal detachment can happen to anyone. But you are more likely to get it if:

* Someone in your family has had a retinal detachment

* You’ve had any kind of eye surgery

* You’ve had a serious eye injury

* You have diabetic retinopathy

* You have other eye diseases

The best way to know your risk is to talk to your eye doctor. Most of the time, retinal detachment happens from aging or an eye injury.

Can I prevent it?

You can lower your risk by protecting your eyes. Wear safety goggles during sports or when using power tools.

You should also get a dilated eye exam regularly. Always see your eye doctor after any eye injury.

Good news

Retinal detachment is treatable. An eye doctor or surgeon can often fix the retina and reattach it. The earlier it is found, the better the outcome. Don’t ignore the signs – save your vision!

Source: National Eye Institute

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
What To Do When Your Heel Hurts

SELF-CARE CORNER

Heel pain is the most common foot and ankle problem. Often, a sore heel is not serious. But if you ignore it and keep using the foot, it could get worse.

When it comes to heel pain, the first clue is where the heel hurts. Pain at the bottom of the heel is different from pain behind the heel.

Pain underneath the heel

* Plantar fasciitis. This happens when activity inflames the tissue band that runs along the bottom of the foot. Sometimes, people get plantar fasciitis from wearing shoes that don’t properly support their foot. It’s often worse when you first get up in the morning. It can usually be resolved with rest, wearing special inserts in the shoes and/or physical therapy.

* Heel spur. A heel spur is a buildup of calcium that causes a bony bump on the heel bone. It usually happens if a person has plantar fasciitis for a long time. Treatment is usually similar to plantar fasciitis treatment.

* Stone bruise. Stepping on a hard object like a stone can injure the bottom of the heel. If you stepped on something recently, try to rest and protect the foot for a few days until it feels better. Wear shoes when you go outside to prevent this from happening in the future.

Pain behind the heel

Pain in the back of the heel is usually due to a problem with the Achilles tendon. This tendon connects the heel bone to the calf muscle. Heavy activity or exercise can put too much stress on the tendon too quickly. This can cause Achilles tendinitis, which includes small tears and inflammation in the tendon. Treatment may include:

* Physical therapy

* Rest

* Ice

* Orthotic(s) (shoe inserts)

* Night splint (device worn at night to protect the foot and tendon)

People who have Achilles tendinitis may need to avoid the activity that caused it, such as running or jumping.

Respect your feet

Many people ignore heel pain, hoping it will go away. But, untreated problems with the foot may only get worse over time without treatment. If your heel pain lasts more than a couple of days, or if you have a health condition like diabetes, see a doctor right away.

Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026