HealthyLife Articles

Tag: Personal Health & Safety

  • Quit Bugging Me

    WELL-BEING

    Image of insect repellant.

    As you enjoy the great outdoors, you may not see a bear, but you might encounter biting and stinging critters such as ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects.

    Bring along your own make-at-home first aid kit that includes assorted bandages and basic medicines such as a 1 percent hydrocortisone anti-itch cream, suggests Dr. Janyce Sanford, an ER doctor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

    Use insect repellant with DEET. Include tweezers to remove ticks (the best way is to pull straight up in an easy motion). And if anyone is sensitive to bee or wasp stings, carry an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) when camping or hiking.

    Find out who in your party knows CPR before you might need it. Carry emergency supplies of food and light, and make sure you practice common sense.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Secrets To A Successful Life

    WELL-BEING

    Image of older man smiling.

    What do America’s elder citizens say about living a happy, healthy, and successful life? A Cornell University professor, Karl Pillemer, asked hundreds of seniors and gives their advice in his book 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans.

    *Take risks to avoid regret.People in their 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond endorse taking risks when you’re young, contrary to a stereotype that elders are conservative. They say that you are much more likely to regret what you didn’t do than what you did. Say yes to opportunities.

    *Make the most of a bad job.Pillemer said, “Remember that many of these folks who grew up in the Great Depression had bad jobs early on-in fact, their bad jobs make our bad jobs look like good jobs! They found, however, that they learned invaluable lessons from these less-than-ideal work situations. You can learn how the industry works, about communicating with other employees, and about customer service.

    *Choose excitement over money.Choose a career for its basic value rather than how much money you will make. Our elders are keenly aware of how short life is, and they think it’s a mistake to waste precious time in work you don’t like. According to our elders, you need to be able to get up in the morning excited about work, so choose your career with that in mind.

    *Regrets?Embrace travel, especially when you are young.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Still No Flu Shot? It’s Not Too Late

    SELF-CARE CORNER

    Image of fingers crossed with smiling faces drawn in them.

    The flu causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s a serious disease that is especially dangerous for babies, the elderly and those with health conditions, such as heart disease.

    Get your flu shot if you haven’t done so yet. You may be wondering if getting a shot now will be helpful, and the answer is “yes!” Here’s why:

    *  Getting the shot now means you could be protected before the peak of the holiday season. It takes about 2 weeks to get the full immunity from a flu shot.

    *  Flu season usually continues until March or even April of each year. Getting the shot now means months of protection!

    *  As long as the flu keeps spreading, the flu shot can keep you from getting sick.

    *  If you do get sick, your illness will probably be much milder.

    *  No one likes to have a fever, chills, cough, headache, sore throat, body aches, nausea or vomiting. Getting the flu shot now means you reduce your risk of getting all these symptoms from the flu this season. The flu is much more serious than a cold.

    Top flu shot myths busted

    Many people have heard myths about the flu shot and may wonder if it’s safe and effective. Check out these common misconceptions and the truth about the flu shot:

    Myth: You can get sick from the flu shot.

    Fact:The flu shot cannot make you sick with the flu. It contains inactivated (killed) viruses. Some people have mild side effects that last only a day or so that include aches, soreness and a low fever. These side effects are much shorter and milder than getting the flu.

    Myth: I got the flu shot last year, so I don’t need a new one.

    Fact:The flu shot changes each year based on what flu viruses are going around. Experts choose several viruses that are most likely to make people sick and include them in the vaccine. Last year’s vaccine may not offer protection against this year’s viruses.

    Myth: It’s better to just get the flu and get immunity that way.

    Fact:While most healthy people will recover from the flu without problems, this is a dangerous risk to take. Anyone who gets the flu can be at risk of having serious problems. And, there is a high risk of spreading it to loved ones, especially babies, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Stranded In A Storm?

    WELL-BEING

    Image of young women looking out the car window.

    Whether you’re stuck in your car or at home or elsewhere, know how to extend your cell phone’s battery life, advises the Auto Club Group.

    In an emergency, do this:

    *  Turn the phone off. Only turn it on when you are expecting or making a call.

    *  If you’re in an area with no reception, turn off the phone to prevent it from constantly searching for service. Even with automatic power-save features, this function can take up to 30 minutes and it is depleting your battery.

    *  Limit use of the vibrate function on your phone. Use a ring tone because it uses less of the battery’s power.

    *  Don’t use extra features such as the Internet, WiFi, GPS, a camera, and a hands-free device.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Stranded In Your Car During A Winter Storm?

    WELL-BEING

    Image of an older Asian couple stretching.

    A fast-moving winter storm could strand you in your car. The cold can lead to hypothermia and frostbite until you’re rescued.

    A charged cell phone can be your lifeline for first responders, but until help arrives, Amica Insurance with advice from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers these tips to help keep you safe if you’re stuck in a winter storm:

    *  Always stay in your vehicle. You will become disoriented quickly in wind-driven snow and cold temperatures.

    *  Run the engine for about 10 minutes every hour to provide heat. However, be sure to slightly open a window to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

    *  Turn on the dome light at night when running the engine.

    *  After the snow stops, open the hood of your vehicle to indicate that you need assistance.

    *  Tie a colored cloth – preferably red – to your door or antenna.

    *  Be sure to move your arms, legs, fingers and toes to keep blood circulating.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Surprisingly Simple Ways To Prevent Disease

    MEDICAL NEWS

    Image of happy man with thumbs up as he weighs himself.

    Five new studies support simple steps to prevent illness and improve overall health. The American Journal of Medicine reports the following based on multiple studies in several countries:

    *  Eating fresh fish regularly may reduce your risk of colorectal cancer.

    *  Still trying to stop smoking? Try acupuncture and hypnosis. Several studies found smokers had good success.

    *  Have your teeth cleaned regularly. Scaling removes harmful bacteria. You can reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke.

    *  Talk to your doctor about weight loss. People who were moderately obese, followed a diet plan from their doctors (not a weight loss clinic), and stuck with it at least 12 weeks, lost over 10% of their body weight.

    *  Low-dose aspirin, for people who can take it, offers preventive cancer benefits along with heart healthy help.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine