April 15-21, 2009 - Original Health Articles
If spring has you shedding your shoes in order to run your bare feet through the grass, watch out. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), May, June and July are prime Lyme disease months. And while no one';s suggesting you barricade yourself indoors just when some of the year';s most inviting weather is upon us, there are certain precautions you should take to avoid contracting this illness, which can have serious, long-term effects.
For optimal fitness, experts tell us it's important to use weights or weight machines along with performing cardiovascular exercise such as running, biking or walking. But a lot of us are still shy when it comes to the weight room at the gym, preferring to leave it to the grunting male masses.
A woman in her twenties often has the best of all worlds—getting to dip a toe into the "adult" world of jobs, relationships, and responsibilities while still kicking up her heels like a teen from time to time. But while twentysomethings can bounce back from an evening spent with too much pepperoni pizza more easily than older women, it's never too early to start building health habits that will last a lifetime.
What's happening to you lately? One minute you're on top of the world, the next you're ready to rage at anyone who crosses you. You're up, you're down, you're happy, you're irritable—didn't you leave this all behind in middle school? What's happening is, in a word, hormones.
Heartburn can arise from many places—a heavy pasta dinner, an afternoon jog, a panic attack from a missed train. However, heartburn can typically be prevented by taking prescription or over-the-counter medicine, or by enacting lifestyle changes that focus on factors such as diet, exercise, and stress.
The term "frankenfoods" couldn't be more appropriate. It's the nickname given to genetically modified foods. And many Americans are scared and worried that bioengineered food is causing more problems than it's solving. To create genetically altered (GA) or genetically modified (GM) foods, scientists change the genetic structure of plants and animals to increase production and resistance to natural elements, such as bad weather or pests.
If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis you know first-hand how important it is to explore all possible remedies. Flares can occur without warning, and seemingly, without a cause. And sometimes prescription drugs aren't as effective as you'd like. There's growing evidence that environmental factors play a role in autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
If you suffer from asthma and also experience signs of depression and anxiety, this may not be a coincidence. In fact, recent studies have shown a relationship between these two conditions. This means that if you have the chronically inflamed airways that typically go along with asthma, it is important to take note not just of your physical symptoms, but also of your state of mind as well.
Stress is a natural part of life. But there are moments when the pressures of keeping our families afloat, ourselves together, and our futures bright are so great that we feel as if we're living through times that try not only our souls but our hearts as well—quite literally.
Seeing as 64 percent of women who died suddenly due to coronary heart disease showed no symptoms of the disease beforehand, you'd think that the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology would be imploring women to get heart scans, which can detect blockages and calcium buildup in people with heart disease who have exhibited no signs whether through actual symptoms, blood tests, echocardiograms, or otherwise.
Over 1.3 million Americans are living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the Arthritis Foundation. This autoimmune disease primarily affects the joints and causes swelling, stiffness, pain, fatigue and other side effects. Many children also suffer from juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which has some of the same symptoms as rheumatoid arthritis.
Have you tried yoga to manage your asthma symptoms? Many people find that this form of exercise taps into the mind-body connection to help you to take control of your health and enable you to feel significantly better on many levels. So yoga and asthma can be a good combination.
Environmental allergies occur all of the time and can be caused by numerous factors. But while the symptoms are certainly very hard to miss, figuring out what is triggering them can take some good detective work. Environmental Allergies An environmental allergy is really just an allergic reaction to something in the air or in the room.
It's no secret that most take-out food is dangerous for your waistline, but it can also be downright disgusting. From rats to food stored in unsanitary locations, some restaurants have served up more than just convenient, tasty food. Beware, what you're about to read might make your stomach turn.
A sore throat, itchy eyes, the sniffles—all are a threat to a good vacation. The last thing you want on your Caribbean cruise is a fever keeping you from the water. But sometimes you run into problems you can’t control, and even worse are problems intensified by travel.
A potential complication of diabetes is nerve damage, which can affect several areas of your body, including your digestive system. When this happens, a condition known as gastroparesis can set in, making blood sugar levels even more difficult to control.
It seems almost ironic that in an age where there are so many health plans to choose from, each year more Americans end up uninsured. One major reason so many people end up without health plans is that many businesses are no longer offering health benefits.
A Sinus Infection A sinus infection, also known as sinusitis, is an inflammation of the sinus cavities that are located behind the nose, around the eyes and behind the check bones. This common condition is the cause of approximately 20 percent of all patient visits to an allergist or immunologist, according to research included on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s website.
When you suffer from fatigue and swollen, stiff and painful joints, you won’t be able to zip through daily routines such as taking a shower or styling your hair. Instead, they take planning — and a bit of support. Use these tips to make bathing and grooming when you have arthritis a lot easier.
Does your child have asthma? If so, you probably worry every time he or she goes to school. But you can help his or her teachers make the grade by providing some essential education in asthma management for them. By alerting them to the asthma warning signs and teaching them how to respond in an emergency situation, you can get them involved to help safeguard your child’s health.
Our bodies need enough stored energy to go for a jog, but no one wants spaghetti sloshing around in their stomach when they’re bouncing on the pavement. Jogging, though, is a high-impact exercise that jostles the stomach. While you don’t want to exercise on a full stomach, you do want to exercise to help stave off digestive problems stemming from food.
Life-Saving Benefits You can scrimp on food, clothes, entertainment and other expenses in a pinch, but when it comes to your asthma medication, if you forego the treatment you need, you could be giving up essential life-saving benefits, the experts suggest.
