Timeless Herbal Remedies

There are quite a lot of natural remedies that have been used through the years. Such plant based remedies have a long history and have been handed down from generation to generation. While some of them have long been forgotten, there are also remedies that have survived all through the years, mainly because they have proven to be effective. Here are some of them.

Cayenne Peppers

Pepper has a long tradition as being an ingredient to various traditional remedies. Since Columbus brought them to the New World from the Old, cayenne peppers have long been used for many things other than as spices for food. It has been used for various remedies ranging from pain relief to weight loss. Science has shown that it is effective in both counts. Cayenne pepper contains a compound known as capsaicin that gives peppers its heat. This compound is also known to help block chemical messengers that transmit pain messages to the brain. It can also help people lose abdominal fat.

Onions

Ancient traditional medicine has considered onions as a natural cure-all. They have been recommended for a variety of ailments ranging from respiratory to digestive problems. Scientific studies have also proven that this might be true. Onions contain a flavonoid known as quercetin that protects the stomach from ulcers and cancers.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is another natural remedy with a very long history in ancient traditional medicine. It has been used to get rid of anxiety, improve memory as well as aid in sleep and digestion. Research has also suggested that it may be effective, too.

Lemon balm seems to aid in calming an overactive thyroid. It may also help in the fight against viruses. Drinking tea out of lemon balm also has proven time and again to help calm the nerves and helps in keeping people calm and focused.

Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain

Quitting smoking can be a challenge for most people. Aside from the challenge of quitting the habit because of nicotine addiction, there is also the issue of weight gain. According to studies, people who quit smoking gain around ten pounds on average.

Why Quitting Causes Weight Gain

The main reason why quitting smoking leads to considerable weight gain is due to the changes in the body’s metabolism. Nicotine has the ability to increase the body’s metabolic rate. Once the body experiences nicotine withdrawal as what happens when one quits smoking, the metabolic rate also drops. This can then cause the body to pile up excess poundage easier because of the lower metabolic rate.

Another reason why those who quit smoking may also gain weight is that people tend to eat more. When a habit such as smoking is being removed from the usual daily lifestyle, people tend to find something to substitute for it. The easiest alternative available for most people is food. Most people who try to quit smoking tend to substitute eating as their habit. This can also cause weight gain for some people.

Exercise More

One way to avoid gaining weight while quitting the smoking habit is by getting into exercising more. Exercise may be the best alternative that you can substitute for your smoking habit. It may help prevent that drop in metabolic rate that usually happens when nicotine is removed from the system. Exercise itself can help increase metabolism to help avoid weight gain.

Drink More Water

Staying hydrated can also help provide a metabolic boost. Those who are trying to quit smoking should drink plenty of water since it can also help reduce those cravings for a smoke. People can try carrying a water bottle with them all the time instead of a pack of cigarettes.

Understanding Stroke Rehabilitation

Stroke rehabilitation is an important means to help stroke victims and patients regain certain skills that they may have lost as a result of a stroke.

It is the best means to help stroke patients get better as well as a way to help them avoid sinking into depression as a result of their stroke. Stroke rehabilitation aims to help stroke victims try to gain back their independence as well as confidence and be more able to cope up with their condition.

Stroke Rehab Team

There is a team of specialists who make up a stroke rehab team. Their mix of medical specialties aims to help people recover from stroke. Aside from the doctors and nurses who make up the large part of the stroke rehab team, there are also a number of therapists included like:

Physical therapist- works with the stroke victim to help on physical problems concerning balance, movement, and coordination.

Speech/Language Therapist- works with the patient to help regain speech and language skills that may be affected by the stroke. The therapists may also help patients in trying to overcome difficulties in swallowing.

Psychologist or Counselor- works with the patient to try and cope up with the emotional dilemma and psychological complications brought about as a result of a stroke.

Occupational therapist- works with the stroke patient to regain the skills of doing everyday activities. This therapist helps the patient practice eating, dressing up, taking a bath as well as doing other related tasks.

Recreational and Vocational Therapists- although they may or may not be a part of the stroke rehab team, recreational and vocational therapists may also play a big role in helping patients regain a source of normalcy even after the stroke. A recreational therapist can help a patient try to develop and regain the enjoyment of certain activities that the patient once enjoyed before the stroke. A vocational therapist can aid a patient with concerns dealing with finding a job or getting back to work.

Duration

The duration of a stroke rehabilitation program can vary, depending on the degree of damage caused by the stroke as well as the level of development a stroke victim undergoes.

But for most people, stroke rehab may be a lifelong process. Some people may do better after several weeks or months of stroke rehab while other people may take years and years to show considerable improvement.

The Therapeutic Effects of Writing

Writing is one of the first things we learned in school as kids. We were instructed to trace letters, write words through colored pictures, describe our surroundings through phrases and sentences, until we eventually learned to write coherent paragraphs.

As we grow up, though, we learn about things that go beyond the four corners of the classroom. As such, we learn to make use of writing for different purposes.

Many people resort to writing down their thoughts in black and white when they feel down or sad or desperate. Unintentionally, they are actually resorting to what is known as journal therapy.

Journal therapy is defined as the purposeful act of writing down our thoughts and feelings in an effort to further psychological healing and personal growth. Through therapeutic writing or journal therapy, a person is able to:

â—� cope with stress
â—� reduce physical symptoms of certain diseases
â—� foster self-awareness
â—� reduce anxiety
â—� and develop self-esteem

For the most part, writing is also an individualized process of personal growth. It is an effective distressing method which has the ability to settle the mind and release pent-up emotions. It also gives us an honest insight into our real selves. For Lyn Petit’, author of The Philosophy of a Thought, writing is a form of therapy.

Like most of us, Lyn also went through a lot of adversities in life. She made use of these personal experiences to put all her thoughts into writing. According to her, her counselor urged her to write her thoughts on paper as a form of therapy. To her surprise, her counselor’s advice worked, so much so that Lyn was able to publish her first book in 2007.

Through writing, Lyn was able to express herself more. At the same time, she was also able to give out advice to other people about simply putting both feet down and saying no, standing up for oneself, and not allowing people to take the rein of one’s life from one’s own hands. Lyn accomplished all of these, in spite of the fact that she is a dyslexic, a tad autistic, and a little deaf.

What is Hydrotherapy Treatment?

Hydrotherapy is the practice of using water to sooth away pains as well as in treating diseases. It is a practice that has its roots way back in ancient times. Egyptian royalty took their baths with essential oils and flowers. The Romans were known for their communal public baths. The Father of Medicine from ancient Greece, Hippocrates, was known to prescribe bathing in spring water to treat sickness.

Benefits

There are a number of benefits attributed to the use of water therapy. One of the known benefits is that it helps increase blood circulation. This enables the efficient circulation of the body’s white blood cells for better immune function. Hydrotherapy is also known to help induce the production of endorphins which can help improve overall well-being as well as relax and energize the body.

The use of hydrotherapy helps in supplying fresh nutrients and oxygen to tissues as well as helps it dispose of toxins and waste products. Hydrotherapy also helps aid physical rehabilitation for people who are injured or have suffered through a stroke. Hydrotherapy has also been used to help reduce the pain and inflammation caused by arthritis and other similar ailments such as rheumatism.

Forms of Hydrotherapy

There are various forms of hydrotherapy treatments being used today. The use of different compresses is considered as hydrotherapy. Cooling and heating compresses are being used to help reduce inflammation and congestion. They can be used for either short or long periods.

Baths are also considered another common and popular form of hydrotherapy. Baths are usually used as therapy using a combination of both hot and cold water. The effect on the body through this therapy is said to help aid blood circulation as well as help stimulate the body’s nervous system.

An internal form of hydrotherapy is colon cleansing. It is also known as a basic enema where the colon is flushed using water in order to clear it. It is said to help get rid of toxins that may have accumulated inside the colon. But doctors believe that such practice may cause an imbalance between bacteria and chemicals found in the colon which can lead to other problems.

Hydrotherapy in the form of full body immersion in water is usually used to aid in physical therapy. It can be used to aid an injured muscle to gain strength in a more sensitive manner than ordinary exercise. The water helps provide some resistance as well as buoyancy that help injured muscles react to forces gradually.

Concealing Medication in Food and Drink

When we were kids, our parents used to conceal medication in our food and drink when we were sick. It is admissible when there is no other way to give a drug. Covert administration of drugs for adults is an entirely different matter, even for mentally ill patients who will not or cannot take their medicine.

Is it ethical to conceal medication in food and drink? Should drug concealment be medically sanctioned and recorded? How common is it?

The extent of concealing medication

Studies about the extent of covert drug concealment are patchy but suggestive. A 2000 study revealed that medications were administered covertly at some point in 24 of 34 nursing, inpatient and residential units in southeast England. In Norway, a recent study of caregivers for patients with dementia in nursing home and special care units showed that 11%-17% of 1,362 patients were given drugs mixed in food or drink at least once every week.

The Norway study also found that only 40% of the nursing documents recorded the concealment of medication in food or drink. When a doctor authorized the concealment, it was found that medical records were more likely to have written confirmation of the practice, 57% as opposed to 23%.

According to former American Psychological Association (APA) President Paul Appelbaum, concealing medication is rare in inpatient settings in the United States. Overall, there is little information about the extent of this questionable practice in the country.

Support for the practice

Concealing medications in food and drink of patients has supporters. Try talking to a professional caregiver and he or she can often cite good examples of times when covert drug administration seemed logical and sensible.

Caregivers and physicians might consider concealing medications in food and drink to avoid delays in treatment. Delays in treatment could result in self-destructive behavior or means increased morbidity, prolong the patient’s agony, or worsen outcomes.

Criticisms of the practice

Critics of the practice argue that it is a violation of trust by the physician or the caregiver or by members of the family who administer the medications. Many patients are upset and refuse treatment when they learn that their doctor or family betrayed their trust. This in turn breeds paranoia.

It is illegal and unethical in the United States to perform this practice without the consent of a competent and responsible person. According to Spencer Eth, APA Ethics Committee Chair, "Can you treat someone without his or her consent? Not without violating the patient’s autonomy and the core ethical principle of consent. It is a paternalistic attitude that is an anachronism in psychiatric practice. You can’t justify it in the name of ‘the patient’s best interests.’"

Cognitive Restructuring for Stress Relief

Stress management involves different ways on how to handle stress. One of them is the use of cognitive restructuring for relieving stress. Cognitive restructuring has actually been developed as a form of therapy used for treating conditions such as severe stress, anxiety disorders as well as depression.

What is cognitive restructuring?

Cognitive restructuring as a form of therapy was developed in the belief that situations and circumstances that seem to bring or cause stress is borne out of a person’s way of thinking. This can be explained better at how different people may look at spending some of their vacant time.

Some people may see it as an opportunity to feel relaxed and get lost in the moment. Others may think of it as time wasted with nothing productive to do and may even feel distressed or get bored. A person’s way of thinking can determine the resultant action or behavior to a given situation.

The theory behind cognitive restructuring states that a person’s own unrealistic beliefs can be directly responsible for bringing out certain dysfunctional emotions and feelings that further lead to behavior and attitudes resulting from it such as depression, stress or anxiety.

By trying to get rid of such emotions and feelings, stress and other similar conditions can be prevented. But in order to get rid of them, there would be a need to restructure or change certain unrealistic beliefs or faulty thinking that may be giving them life.

Faulty thinking

In cognitive restructuring, faulty thinking or beliefs is referred to as cognitive distortions. Cognitive restructuring is the process of identifying, challenging and then changing the cognitive distortions and negative and unrealistic thinking patterns with more accurate and beneficial ones.

When it comes to stress management, cognitive restructuring can help change certain unrealistic beliefs and thought patterns that usually lead to negative behavior as well as stress. Self-talk usually have a big impact as to how this way of thinking is gradually ingrained into a person’s subconscious mind.

Self-talk

Self-talk can either make life better or worse for a person. It is the internal dialogue that a person makes that initially tries to interpret, explain and judge every situation encountered. The way a person process the internal dialogue based on certain beliefs can lead to different resulting behavior or actions.

If the internal dialogue is based on cognitive distortions are faulty thinking, then it would most likely lead to negative behavior and thought patterns, many of which lead further to stress, anxiety and depression up to a certain period.

The "I Must Be Loved" thinking

The "I Must Be Loved" way of thinking can be considered as one of those cognitive distortions and unrealistic views that can lead to negative results in terms of behavior and attitude. It is unrealistic in a way that it is impossible for all people to experience being loved by everybody.

If a person is led to believe as such, this can result to failure, false hopes and unfulfillment. Cognitive restructuring works to try and recognize and change these faulty beliefs and way of thinking into something positive and reachable. As people undergo a restructured thinking and beliefs, they begin to see things differently little by little.

How Physical Therapy Work

Physical therapy is one of the less known medical practice in the US, but its responsibility and popularity around the world is unquestionable. It is a health care specialty concerned with treating musculoskeletal disorders and its interaction with physical movement.

Physical therapists are licensed professionals who hold a masters, doctorate, or bachelors degree in physical therapy. They work in a wide variety of setting including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, out-patient facilities, schools, nursing homes, and gymnasiums.

What is physical therapy?

It is a health care specialty involved with evaluating, diagnosing, and treating disorders of man’s muscles and bones. The ultimate goal of this practice is to restore maximum functional independence to each individual patient and in order to achieve it, exercise, heat, cold, electricity, and massage are utilized. Physical therapy is ordered by a physician when it is felt that such treatment would be beneficial. It is offered to a wide variety of patients including newborn babies, children, adults, and the elderly.

Physical therapy is useful in treating many different medical disorders and injuries, neurological and muscular illness, as well as cardiopulmonary diseases. Through patient and therapist interaction, physical therapy can help restore movement and function helping patients returns to their prior level of independence.

What physical therapist do?

Physical therapists are licensed professionals who work with people that have sustained disabilities, impairments or limitations in their overall physical function. These deviations can be the result of disease, injury, or pathological processes. They work to restore function, improve mobility, and decrease pain with the goal of re-establishing a patient’s prior functional level.

Physical therapists focus on the evaluation of strength, balance, range of motion, coordination, endurance, and posture of each individual patient. It is through the results of this examination they then develop a treatment plan geared towards reaching specific rehabilitation goals. However, they would also help in determining realistic goals through their knowledge of pathology and prognosis.

Over the course of the rehabilitation period, they document progress, re-evaluate physical findings, and modify treatment strategies as appropriate. They often work as a team with a variety of other professionals including physicians, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and recreational therapists.

Types of Physical Therapy

There are many specialty areas in the field of physical therapy. Although these areas are well known throughout the profession, it is often overlooked by the general public. Here is a brief description of the most common specialty areas in physical therapy and find out which is most appropriate for you or your family member.

Orthopedic physical therapy

It is the diagnosis, management, and treatment for disorders and injuries of the musculoskeletal system as well as rehabilitation of patients’ post-orthopedic surgery. This specialty is most often found in the out-patient clinical setting. Orthopedic therapists are trainied in the treatment of post-operative joints, acute sports injuries, arthritis, and amputations just to name a few.

Common modalities used to expedite recovery are joint mobilization, strength training, hot and cold packs, and electrical stimulation. Those who have suffered injury or disease affecting the muscles, bones, ligaments, or tendons of the body would benefit from assessment by a physical therapist specialized in orthopedics.

Geriatric physical therapy

This area covers a wide area of issues concerning people as they go through normal adult aging, but is usually focused on the older adult. There are many conditions that affect people as they grow older and that includes (but not limited to) arthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, hip and join replacement, balance disorders, and incontinence.

Geriatric physical therapy helps those affected with such problems in developing a specialized program to help restore mobility, reduce pain, increase fitness levels, and more.

Neurological physical therapy

This is a discipline focused on working with individuals who have a neurological disorder or disease. These include Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke.

Common problems of patients with such disorders include paralysis, vision impairment, poor balance, inability to ambulate, and loss of functional independence. Therapists work with patients to improve these areas of dysfunction.

Cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation

CPR therapists treat a wide variety of patients with cardio-pulmonary disorders or those who have had cardiac or pulmonary surgery. Primary goals of this specialty include increasing patient endurance and functional independence.

Manual therapy is utilized in this field to assist in clearing lung secretions experienced in patients with cystic fibrosis. Patients with disorders including heart attacks, post-coronary bypass surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis are only a few examples of those who would benefit from this.

Pediatric physical therapy

It is the assistance in early detection of health problems and uses a wide variety of modalities to treat disorders in the pediatric population. These therapists are specialized in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of infants, children, and adolescents with a variety of congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal, or acquired disorders or diseases.

Treatments focus on improving gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, strength, and endurance as well as cognitive and sensory processing/ integration. Patients include children with developmental delays, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and torticollis.

Sports Physical Exams

Playing sports is a fun way to keep us fit and to meet people. We all know this. But what many of us do not know is the importance of a sports physical exam that we may have to take before participating in sports. Also called as preparticipation physical examination (PPE), sports physicals help determine whether it is safe for your kid to participate in certain sports. PPE is required for kids and teens in most states, but even if it is not required, doctors still recommend sports physicals.

Goals and objectives

The goals of sports physical exams can be summed up as follows: determine that the kid has general good health, detect conditions that put the kid at risk of new injuries, assess his or her current fitness level, and evaluate any of the kid’s existing injuries. PPE also assesses the developmental maturation and size of the kid, detect any congenital anomaly that increases his or her risk of injury, and detects poor preparticipation conditions that may put the kid at increased risk.

Key features

According to the American Heart Association, wherever a sports physical is done, it should include a full medical history and physical exam with a blood pressure check. Another key feature of preparticipation evaluation is precordial auscultation (or listening to the heart) in the standing and supine (laying down) positions.

Importance of a sports physical

A sports physical exam can help parents in finding out about and dealing with health issues that might get in the way with their kids’ participation in sports. For example, if your kid has frequent asthma attacks but is into track and field, your doctor might prescribe him or her a different type of inhaler so that he or she can breathe with more ease when running.

The doctor may even give good training tips and some ideas to avoid injuries. In addition, a doctor can also discover some risk factors associated with specific sports. A professional’s advice will make your kid a better and stronger athlete.

Where

Some sports physicals are done in schools. During the physical exam, your kid may go to a number of "stations" that are set up in the school gym. Each station is staffed by medical professionals who perform specific parts of the physicals. However, even if you have sports physical exams at school, it is recommended that you see your family doctor for the physical exam as well. Your doctor knows your child and his or her health history way better than anyone in a gym.

Lifesaving Health Care Screening Tests for Women

Women, while taking on more active roles in society, career and family, tend to have a lot on their mind. So much so that their attention to personal well-being may be compromised. Due to their increasing responsibilities, most women have a tendency to pass up on opportunities to take advantage of health care screening tests. Unfortunately, such tests are necessary in detecting (and preventing) potential health risks.

Below are the top five lifesaving screening tests every woman needs, as rated by WebMD.

Heart disease screening

According to the American Heart Association coronary heart disease is the largest cause of women’s deaths – about 500,000 cases every year. As much as 80% of this could be prevented by making the necessary lifestyle changes.

One way to assess your risk factors for heart disease is through screening tests for total cholesterol levels, high density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol, and blood fats known as triglycerides. For women over 50 years of age, it is highly recommended to have tests checking your C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine, and lipoprotein (a) [LP(a)] levels.

Inflammation, which may cause heart distress, is indicated by CRP. Homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood, may build up in the bloodstream, increasing the risk of heart attack. Lp(a) is a cholesterol-related risk factor that has a tendency to increase blood clotting.

Be on the lookout for extra heartbeats, chest pain, or shortness of breath. If you experience any of these symptoms, schedule for stress echocardiogram as soon as possible, to determine any significant reduction of blood flow to your heart. Always test your blood pressure as well, as high blood pressure is definitely a major factor in heart disease.

If you have are overweight, and/or have family history of diabetes, blood sugar level or other tests for diabetes are something you should not fail to take.

Pap Smear Test

Three years after becoming sexually active or by age 21, women need an annual pap test to detect any abnormal cell changes that could lead to cervical cancer. During a Pap test, a sample of cells is swabbed from the surface of the cervix and examined for abnormalities that may indicate the presence of cancer or the possibility of cancer occurring.

It is recommended to maintain annual testing until the age of 30. After 3 successive tests with satisfactory results, Pap smears may be done every two to three years from then on. However, women should still continue to see their gynecologist for examination regularly, at least once a year.

As a follow-up to an abnormal Pap test, women should take a human papillomavirus (HPV) test. This virus is a common sexually transmitted infection that could lead to cervical cancer. This test will help determine whether one or more high-risk types of HPV caused the abnormal Pap test result. After 30, it is recommended that the HPV test be taken, not only after abnormal pap results, but regularly, along with the annual pap tests.

Mammogram

Women aged 40 should have a mammogram (breast x-ray) every one or two years. If there is a history of breast cancer in the family, a woman should get her first mammogram 10 years before her relative was diagnosed. Unfortunately, this creates a strong psychological impact. Most women would rather not take the test than take it and find out they have breast cancer. But if the cancer is detected at an early stage, there is a 97 percent chance of being cured.

Women should also have annual palpation tests, where doctors feel for suspicious lumps. They may opt to learn how to perform this procedure properly so they can practice it at home.

Colonoscopy

Colon cancer is preventable and treatable. Colonoscopy allows a doctor to search for polyps or other unnatural growths which could eventually become cancerous. After a short process of preparation through diet and medication, the colon is cleansed, and a miniature digital camera is eased into the colon of a sedated patient. The video images are projected on an LCD screen, where the doctor can visually make observations on the interior colon walls.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that men and women with average risk of colorectal cancer should have a colonoscopy every ten years.

Skin Exam

Every woman should have their skin examined annually by a dermatologist, starting at 18 years of age. The doctor will search your body from head to toe for unusual brown or red spots.

Women should also try to do a self exam every month, checking even the scalp with a mirror. Look for new or unusual moles on your fingernails, toes and soles, and under arms. Inform your doctor of any suspicious finds.

Melanoma causes the most skin cancer deaths, and the number of cases is continually rising. Thus, it is wise to be on the lookout for usually overlooked tell-tale signs.

moking-Cessation Vaccine

n the US alone, 400,000 deaths per year are linked to tobacco use. Fortunately, there might be a solution for that in the near future.

HealthDay News reported last October 12 that the National Institute on Drug Abuse has given a $12 million grant to company in Maryland to assist it in the final phases of its research on a possible anti-nicotine vaccine.

The research

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals will begin the third phase of its study of a potential vaccine called NicVax. The study could be the last step of the research if the vaccine works. It also represents the most advanced examination of an anti-smoking vaccine e.

This anti-smoking vaccine is created to help people quit smoking and not relapse. According to the statement issue by director Dr. Nora D. Volkow, the vaccine has received "fast track" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and has survived a successful "proof-of-concept" study.

There is however, no guarantee that study will prove that the vaccine works. It is also not clear whether it will get federal approval.

How the vaccine works

The vaccine works by making the immune system act when it detects nicotine. This is based on the theory that antibodies will bond with the nicotine molecules and prevent them from reaching the brain where they provide the high smokers want.

So far, the results are still preliminary, but they indicate that smokers who acquire high levels of antibodies in their system are most likely to quit for good. Researchers also report few side effects, and expect the vaccine to work for 6-12 months after it is administered.

Source: MSN Health

Hidden Signs That May Signal Health Risks

The body usually tries to show its conditions through a variety of signs and symptoms. Knowing what some of these physical signs are can help you become more aware of any possible health risks on your part. Aside from the more obvious ones, there are also other little known signs that may signal a possible health risk. Here are some of them.

Swelling Fingers

There might be a variety of reasons why your fingers may swell. Women going through their monthly period may also experience their fingers swelling. Too much sodium intake may also cause the same thing. But apart from those, swollen fingers may also be a sign of hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland produces insufficient amounts of hormones required by the body to regulate metabolism.

Yellow Eyelid Bumps

This tiny bumps can appear if you have high cholesterol levels. When your cholesterol is high, it can collect on the upper eyelids and form tiny, yellowish deposits. When you find this bumps increasingly appearing in your eyelids, then maybe its time for you to have your cholesterol levels checked.

Chapped Lips

Chapped lips is normally a sign of dehydration or just dry air. One way to get rid of it is by drinking lots of water or applying some lip balm. But in some cases where chapped lips seem to happen even if you drank lots of water, there might be another reason. One of them is too much vitamin A. Too much intake of vitamin A can become dehydrating causing your chapped lips. High levels of vitamin A can also be dangerous since it can lead to birth defects in pregnant women and even blurred vision among other things.

Pale Whitish Nails

Nails normally changes its color to pale when being pressed but then returns to its normal color a brief moment afterward. But prolonged pale nails that stay white long after they are pressed can be a sign that you are anemic. Lack of iron can cause this condition that can become serious if it is not discovered early on.

Protecting Against Medical Mistakes

Even medical professionals are liable to make mistakes now and then. Even if you are confined in a reputable hospital does not necessarily mean that you are already safe. It may sometimes take some vigilance on your part to make sure that you can protect yourself from certain medical mistakes. Here are some of the ways how to do it.

Always insist on cleanliness.

When staying at the hospital, you might come into contact with several health professionals who try to look into your welfare. Before they do, try to ask if they have washed their hands. Although it is standard procedure for health professionals to do so before giving medication, changing a wound dressing or removing an IV, it pays to remind them in order to make sure.

Look into the safest hospitals and health facilities in your area.

It really pays to do some bit of research on which hospitals in your area are considered to be the safest ones. You can get inputs from colleagues, relatives and friends. This way, you can have a choice to be confined to a health facility that you know will be safe and where medical mistakes may be less likely to occur.

Avoid being a distraction.

Although you try to have talks with doctors or nurses who are attending to your care, you might try to avoid becoming a distraction. Friendly chitchat may be a cause if interruption that might easily distract the hospital staff from administering your medicines or doing a sensitive procedure.

Get informed.

Try to have a good idea why certain things are being done to you while being confined at the hospital. Have a better grasp of what your doctor or the medical staff might be doing and find out the reason behind them. Try to ask the reason behind the medications being administered to you as well as the tests you have to undergo.

What Doctors Want From Patients

When doctors want to provide the best medical diagnosis to their patients and what might be ailing them, utmost cooperation between the two is needed. Many times, doctors may not be able to get all the information that they need from the tests alone and may require help from the patients themselves. Here are some of the things that doctors usually want from their patients every time they come for a visit.

Be honest.

Doctors usually want their patients to be quite honest with them. There are many patients who might try to hide something from their doctors during medical check ups out of embarrassment or shame. This action may sometimes prove serious and may greatly affect a doctor’s diagnosis. Sometimes patients will try to hide something for as long as possible and may only divulge it when it is already to late. It is often better to be quite honest with your doctor and try to tell what might be ailing you right away.

Get a second opinion from another doctor, not from relatives.

A lot of people may find it easy to believe what a relative may say about what might be ailing them. The trust can sometimes get in the way of getting into the bottom of your condition. Getting an accurate assessment of your physical condition and health should come from doctors and medical professionals and not from your mom or relative with no medical experience whatsoever.

Don’t think that you have every ailment out there.

A lot of people can easily be convinced that they may be suffering from something when they actually do not. It may come from something a relative may say or what they saw on TV atone time or another. They become so convinced that they feel they require some treatment for something that they do not actually have. It can also become quite hard for doctors to convince them that they are actually healthy.

New Studies Reveal Hidden Risks and Benefits of Aspirin

Recent studies have revealed many things about aspirin. There are previous beliefs that have been debunked while others that show other added benefits that the common aspirin may have. Here are some of them:

Reduce Pre-eclampsia Risk

A study published in Lancet in 2007 indicated that pregnant women who took aspirin or other anti-platelet medication have a 10 percent less chance of developing pre-eclampsia, a condition characterized by sudden increase in blood pressure during pregnancy. This condition can cause serious complications both to the mother and the fetus.

Protect Against Parkinson’s Disease

A 2007 study published in Neurology suggests that women who took aspirin for two or more times a week for at least a month have a 40 percent less chance of developing Parkinson’s.

May Affect Prostate Cancer Test Results

Taking aspirin regularly may hinder the detection of prostate cancer. A study published on the 2008 issue of Cancer suggests that men who regularly take aspirin as well as other NSAID’s had 10 percent lower levels of prostate-specific antigens. This can sometimes hinder the early detection of prostate cancer in regular aspirin users.

May Prevent Asthma In Middle Aged Women

The 2008 issue of Thorax journal contains a study that reported women 45 years old and above who took 100 mg of aspirin every other day also were 10 percent less likely to develop asthma over the next decade as compared to women who took a placebo. It was also noted in the said study that aspirin can worsen the symptoms in about 10 percent of the people who may already have asthma.

Surprisingly Common Areas Where Germs Thrive

Harmful microbes and germs can lurk in almost any environment. The problem is that they usually remain unseen and hidden. It can be difficult to know where they may be silently wrecking their havoc. It does not help that such germs can also be found in various places commonly exposed to most people. Here are just some of those common areas where germs may lurk.

Bar Snacks

It may be quite a common activity just eating snacks offered at the bar. But imagine just how many hands that have come into contact with the snacks before you put your hands into them. Harmful germs may easily transfer from one person to another this way.

Magazines In Clinics

Waiting for your appointment with your doctor may give you sometime to kill at the waiting room. This may lead you to read the magazines prepared especially for waiting patients. But most clinics may be unaware that it may be easy for microbes to transfer from one person to another. The worse thing about it is that most people coming to the clinic may surely be carrying some microbes and viruses that may easily be contracted by another. Magazines may be just one of the common contact points where these microbes may contaminate.

Day Care Centers

Day care centers may also be a potential area where germs may easily spread. Baby diapers and toys can get easily mixed. Toys can end up in kid’s mouths. Adults picking up used diapers can bring germs along with them. There are just many things happening at day care centers that make it quite an easy place for microbes to spread.

Restaurant Menus

Considering that restaurants are frequent places where people meet to eat, the restaurant menus can be an easy place where different microbes can accumulate. As they go from one eating patron to another, they might carry germs and gets transferred as other people handle the menus. It can even get worse as people eat finger foods along the way.

First Aid for Foreign Object Inhaled

inhaling foreign objects is one of the common reasons why kids end up in the ER.

If your child accidentally inhales s foreign object, take him/her to your doctor immediately. If the foreign object causes choking, the American Red Cross recommends the "five-and-five" approach to administering first aid:

• First, deliver 5 back blows between your child’s shoulder blades using the heel of your hand.
• Next, perform the Heimlich maneuver – 5 abdominal thrusts.
• Alternate between these two maneuvers until the object is dislodged

If you are the only person in the house [apart from the victim], perform the "five-and-five" approach first before calling 911 or your local emergency number. If another is available, have that person call for help while you perform first aid.

How to perform the Heimlich maneuver on another person

• First, stand behind the victim. Wrap your arms around his or her waist. Tip the person forward slightly.
• Next, make a fist with one hand and position it just above the victim’s navel.
• Grasp your fist with your other hand and press hard into the abdomen using quick, upward thrusts as though you are trying to lift the person up.
• Do a total of 5 abdominal thrusts. If the blockage still isn’t removed, do another set of the "five-and-five" approach.

How to perform the Heimlich maneuver on another person

• Make a fist with one hand and place it slightly above your navel.
• Grasp your fist with the other hand and bend over a hard surface such as a countertop or a chair.
• Thrust your fist inward and upward to dislodge the blockage.

Source: MayoClinic

First Aid: Foreign Objects in the Skin

Tiny, sharp objects such as wood splinters and small pieces of glass can easily get into the skin and get stuck there.

• To administer first aid for foreign objects in the ski, follow these guidelines:
• Because the skin is broken and germs can get in, wash your hands and clean the area with soap and water.
• Use tweezers remove the foreign object in your skin.

If the object is completely embedded in your skin:

• Wash your hands and clean the area with soap and water.
• Sterilize a sharp, clean needle by wiping it with rubbing alcohol. Or get a brand new one and clean it with rubbing alcohol. If rubbing alcohol isn’t available, clean the needle with soap and water.
• Use the needle to lift the tip of the object out.
• Use the tweezers to extract the object. You can use a magnifying glass to help you see the object better.
• Wash and pat-dry the area, and apply an antibiotic ointment.

Seek medical help if the foreign doesn’t come out or if it is near the eye.

Source: Mayo Clinic

First Aid for Fractures

Fractures or broken bones are a serious problem that requires immediate medical attention.

If the broken bone is the result of a major injury, call 911 or your local emergency number. Also call 911 if:

• The person is not responding, isn’t breathing or isn’t moving. Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if the person has no respiration or heartbeat.
• There is heavy bleeding.
• Even light pressure or movement causes pain.
• The limb or joint appears deformed.
• The bone has pierced the skin.
• The extremity of the injured arm or leg is numb, or is bluish at the tip.
• You suspect that the bone in the neck, head, or back is broken.
• You think that in the hip, pelvis, or upper leg is broken.

While waiting for medical help to arrive, do the following actions immediately:

• Stop any bleeding. Put pressure on the wound with a sterile bandage, a clean cloth, or clean piece of clothing.
• Immobilize the injured area. Do not attempt to realign or even more the bone. However, if you are trained on how to splint – medical help isn’t available yet – then apply a splint to the affected area.
• Put ice packs to limit the swelling and ease the pain until the emergency medical help arrives. Do not apply ice directly on the skin of the injured area. Wrap the ice in a towel or piece of cloth before applying it to the skin.
• Treat the person for shock. If the person looks or feels faint, or is breathing in short rapid breaths, lay him or her down with the head slightly lower than the trunk, and elevate the legs if possible.

Source: Mayo Clinic

First Aid for Insect Bites and Stings

Insect bites and stings result in a little itchiness redness which often goes away on its own after a few hours of days.

However, if you have an allergic reaction to insect bites and stings, you must know what to in case it happens.

Insects release venom or other substances into your skin when they bite or sting. This venom triggers an allergic reaction. The severity of your reaction depends on your sensitivity to the venom or substance.

Most people have mild reactions to insect bites or stings, causing only a bit of itching or stinging sensation; or a little redness or swelling that goes away after a few days.

A delayed allergic reaction may cause fever, painful joints, swollen glands, and hives. You may experience both immediate and delayed reaction from the same insect bite or sting.

A small percentage of people however, experience severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) to insect venom. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction include:

• Facial swelling
• Difficulty breathing
• Abdominal pain
• Shock

Bites from bees, wasps, hornets, fire ants and yellow jackets are usually the ones cause severe allergic reactions. Bites from ticks, mosquitoes, biting flies and some spiders can also cause allergic reactions, but theirs are usually milder.

First aid for mild allergic reactions

Mild allergic reactions also include mild nausea, intestinal cramps, diarrhea, and swelling bigger than 2 inches in diameter at the bite site. See your doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms.

To treat a mild allergic reaction:

• Go to a safer are to avoid getting bitten or stung some more.
• Do not try to pull the stinger out. Doing so may release more venom. Scrape or brush off the stinger instead with a straight-edged object like the back of a knife. Wash the affected area with soap and water.
• Put hydrocortisone cream (0.5-1 percent), calamine lotion, or baking soda paste (3 teaspoon baking soda to 1 teaspoon water) on the affected area several times a day or until your symptoms disappear.
• Take an antihistamine with diphenhydramine or chlorpheniramine maleate.

First aid for severe allergic reactions

Severe allergic reactions advanced rapidly. In case of a severe allergic reaction to an insect bite or sting, call 911 or your local emergency medical assistance. Signs and symptoms of a severe allergic reaction include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of the lips or throat
• Faintness
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Rapid heartbeat
• Hives
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Cramps

While waiting for emergency medical help to arrive, do the following:

• Check for medications that the affected person may be carrying to treat an allergic attack. Examples include auto-injectors of epinephrine. Administer the medication as directed. Massage the site of injection for 10 seconds to improve absorption.
• After administering epinephrine, give the person an antihistamine pill if he or she can swallow it without choking.
• Make the person lie still on his or her back with his or her feet higher than the head.
• Loosen the person’s tight clothing and cover him or her with a blanket. Don’t give him or her anything to drink.
• If there is vomiting or bleeding from the mouth, turn the person over on his or her side to prevent choking.
• Peform CPR is the person is not moving, breathing or coughing.

Source: Mayo Clinic

First Aid for Snake Bites

Apart from the rattlesnake, coral snake, water moccasin and copperhead, most North American snakes are not poisonous.

Characteristics of NA poisonous snakes

Except for the coral snake, these poisonous snakes have slit-like eyes, triangular heads with a depression midway between the eyes and nostrils.

Each poisonous snake also possesses a certain characteristic that is unique to them:

The rattle snake makes its rattling sound by shaking the rings at the end of their tail.

Water moccasins on the other hand, have a white cottony lining in their mouth; while coral snakes have red, yellow and black rings along the length of their body.

How to reduce your risk of snakebite

To lower your risk of snakebite, do not pick up or play with any kind of snake. Most snakes avoid people, and bite only when threatened or surprised.

• If you are bitten by a snake:
• Remain calm
• Do not attempt to catch the snake
• Do not move the bitten arm or leg

Apply a loose splint to reduce movement of the affected area. Make sure it is loose enough to allow normal blood flow

• Remain silent
• Remove jewelry and other accessory, because swelling progresses quickly
• Do not use a tourniquet or put ice
• Do not cut the wound or try to remove the venom
• Seek medical attention immediately, especially if the bitten area changes color, starts to swell or is painful.

Source: Mayo Clinic

First Aid for Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Gastroenteritis is a common condition. Millions suffer from it every year. Inadequate treatment of gastroenteritis causes the death of 5-8 million people worldwide each year. It is also one of the leading causes of death among infants and children under 5 years old.

Causes of gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis may be caused by any of the following:

• Viruses
• Food or water contaminated by bacteria or parasites
• Reaction to a new food. Young children may develop signs and symptoms for this reason. Infants who are breast-fed may even react to a change in their mothers’ diets.
• Side effect from medications.

Signs and symptoms of gastroenteritis

Signs and symptoms of gastroenteritis include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal Cramps
• Bloating

Sometimes a low-grade fever comes with these symptoms. Symptoms may last from a day to longer than a week, depending on the cause of gastroenteritis.

What to do if you have gastroenteritis

• If you think you have gastroenteritis:
• Stop eating and drinking for a few hours and let your stomach settle.
• Drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration.
• Ease back into eating. Start eating bland, easy-to-digest foods such as crackers, gelatin, bananas, rice and chicken. Stop eating if your symptoms return. Do not drink milk or consume dairy products, as well as alcohol, nicotine, and fatty or highly seasoned foods for a few days.
• Consider taking acetaminophen to relieve your discomfort, except if you have liver disease.
• Get plenty of rest. Illness, plus dehydration can make you weak and tired.

When to seek emergency medical help

• Seek emergency medical assistance if:
• Vomiting persists for more than 2 days
• Diarrhea lasts for longer than several days
• Diarrhea is bloody
• Fever is 101 F (38.3 C) or higher
• You feel faint or lightheaded when you stand
• Confusion develops
• Troublesome abdominal pain develops

What to do if your child has gastroenteritis

If you think your child has gastroenteritis:

Let him/her rest

When your child’s vomiting stops, start giving him/her small amounts of an oral rehydration solution such as Pedialyte. Do not use water alone. Water is not absorbed properly in kids with gastroenteritis, which means it won’t adequately replace lost fluids. Also avoid giving your child milk and apple juice since it makes diarrhea worse.

You may give your child acetaminophen to relieve his/her discomfort. Do not give your child acetaminophen, if your child has liver disease. Avoid giving your child aspirin.

If you child is still an infant, let his/her stomach rest for 30-60 minutes, then give him/her small amounts of liquid, or nurse him/her if you are breast-feeding. If your baby is bottle-fed, give him/her a small amount of oral rehydration formula.

When to seek emergency medical help

Seek emergency medical assistance if your child:

• Becomes unusually drowsy
• Vomits Blood
• Has bloody diarrhea
• Shows signs of dehydration including dry mouth and skin, marked thirst, sunken eyes, or crying without tears. In an infant, be on the look out for the soft spot on top of the head becoming sunken, and to diapers that remain dry for more than 8 hours.
• Is younger than 2 years old and has a fever for longer than a day, or is 2 years old and older and has fever for more than 3 days

Source: Mayo Clinic

Remedies for Hiccups

A case of hiccups may be a fairly normal condition that anyone may experience but can also be troublesome at times. The condition is caused by a sudden contraction of the diaphragm and muscles between the ribs that further causes one to inhale quickly and involuntarily. The sudden rush of air causes the epiglottis in the throat to shut, causing the typical "hic" sound.

Technically known as singultus, hiccups can either last for less than a minute or can go for hours and even weeks. There is even a story of a man who had a serious bout of the hiccups that didn’t go away for 60 years. But such conditions can be rare as most hiccups usually disappear as fast as they appear. What makes it more interesting despite hiccups being quite common is that medical experts do not know the exact cause of hiccups. There are several reasons offered and each one of them may be quite true.

Treating Hiccups

Although most cases of hiccups tend to go away on their own, there are instances where they surprisingly don’t. In such cases, medical intervention may be needed where hiccups may go on for weeks without stopping. Sedatives and muscle relaxants may be prescribed by doctors in order to help treat severe cases of hiccups.

Home Remedies

For hiccups that may be considered common, there have been certain home remedies that may just help get rid of the condition. Although their effectiveness may be on a case to case basis, trying them out in order to get rid of that hiccup may be something worth doing. Here are some of them:

• Pulling your tongue to to stimulate the nasopharynx.

• Drinking water

• Swallowing granulated sugar

• Holding your breath or breathing into a paper bag.

• Pulling knees up your chest while sitting down and leaning forward

• Rubbing the back of the neck

• Biting on a lemon

Although these home remedies may not always be effective and apply for all cases of hiccups, they should always be worth a try. There are many other ways that some people may suggest in trying to get rid of hiccups. The more you know about them, the better , especially if you find yourself in such a situation. After all, there is always a visit to your doctor for help in case not one of those home remedies work.

First Aid for Sprain

Protect the injured limb from further injury by not moving the joint. To do this, you can use splints or crutches.

Rest

Rest the injured limb; but do no avoid all physical activity. You can still exercise even with an ankle sprain to prevent de-conditioning. Work both arms and you uninjured leg to get a three-limb exercise to maintain your cardiovascular conditioning.

Ice

Apply ice on the injured limb. You a cold pack, a slush bath, or a compression sleeve filled with cold water to reduce swelling. If you are using ice, avoid using it for too long as it could cause tissue damage.

Compress

Compress the injure limb using an elastic wrap or bandage. Compressive wraps or sleeves made from elastic neoprene are your best bet.

Elevate

Elevate the injure limb whenever possible to prevent or limit the swelling.

After the first two days, slowly start using the injured area. You should feel gradual, progressive improvement. Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to alleviate the pain during the healing process.

When to get emergency medical assistance

Call emergency medical help in case of the following:

You heard a popping sound when you injured your joint, you can’t use your joint, or you feel unstable when you try to carry weight on the joint. Any of these could mean that the ligament was completely torn. Apply a cold pack on the injured area on the way to the doctor.

You have a fever higher that 100 F (37.8 C), and the injured limb is red and hot. This could mean that you have an infection.

You are in severe pain. Delayed or inadequate treatment may cause long-term joint instability and/or chronic pain.

The injured area is not improving after the first 2-3 days.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Strange But Effective Home Remedies

Over the years, people have developed home remedies to treat almost every common ailment there is. Some may be found truly effective while some may not. There are even some quite bizarre home remedies suggested that turn out to be quite effective. Here are just some of them.

Sugar For Hiccups

It may seem bizarre to think that a teaspoon of sugar swallowed dry can be a remedy for hiccups. But it is actually quite effective. Experts believe that this happens because sugar seems to modify the nerve muscles that would otherwise tell the muscles found in the diaphragm to contract suddenly that would produce the hiccups.

Mouthwash For Blisters

A product that is used to keep your breath fresh can also be a remedy for blisters. Mouthwash that makes the breath feel fresh is also known as a powerful antiseptic. Dabbing a blister with mouthwash thrice a day can dry it out and makes it hurt less in the process.

Yogurt For Bad Breath

Eating yogurt may not just be healthy for you, it might even be able to help you get rid of bad breath. Yogurt contains a culture of live beneficial bacteria that may help suppress the levels of bad breath-causing bacteria in the mouth.

Baking Soda For Urinary Tract Infections

Adding baking soda by mixing 1/4 teaspoon of it in water and drinking it once a day can be a temporary remedy for a urinary tract infection until you visit your doctor to be more effectively treated. The reason why this home remedy works is that baking soda helps create a more alkaline environment in your bladder. This reduces the ability of the bacteria to multiply further.First Aid

Household Budget Tips

If you know where every penny of your money goes and has plenty of spare cash lying around then you’re too rich or too smart.

For the rest of us struggling through budgets and stretching the paycheck to pay off the vast amount of bills, a way to save more money is important. Making that dollar go a long way isn’t a hard thing to do. Here are some practical tips for the penny pinching household.

Add up all your necessities

By this we mean your very basic needs like water, electricity, food and housing. There should be some money left over for the rest of your monthly expenditures. Listing all your basic needs will help you figure out how much you spend for other items

Look for items to cut back on without affecting your basic needs

There are always ways to cut corners when it comes to your household budget. A lot of people spend more than they should and they spend it on their miscellaneous expenses.

Make a grocery list and stick with it

We usually spend too much when we go grocery shopping. Buy in bulk to benefit from the bulk discount. It is generally cheaper to go to the store on Monday because prices are lower.

Check the store with the lowest prices and shop there. Go for the bargain carts. And there are always coupons to collect to get the best discounts possible.

Bring your lunch to work instead of eating out

Save money by not eating out every week but only for special occasions.

Use cash as much as possible

Avoid using your credit cards, unless using plastic will give you a better deal.

Pay off your credit card debts as soon as possible

You can avoid the high interest rates as well as generate some extra income.

Avoid impulse shopping

If you find something you think you need, go home and think about it. Consult your budget and soon that urge to buy that item will pass. More often than not looking at the amount of bills you still need to pay will deter any impulse buying.

Fore go the big name brands when you’re buying clothes

Yes, they may look smashing on you but you could get knock offs at any bargain store. You could even try shopping at garage sales or the Salvation Army.

You would be amazed at the clothes that are available. Because many wealthy people give their clothes away at this thrift stores, you’ll find designer clothes, evening gowns and leather jackets.

Rent a movie instead of going out for a movie

You’ll save on popcorn and soda costs. Or if you are going out for a movie bring your own snacks. The cost of sodas and snacks are 25% higher in movie houses. Plus, homemade popcorn is healthier. You can choose the low fat variety.

Cancel the cable, newspapers and magazine subscriptions

This may cause a blood curdling howl among the kids but try to explain the importance of cutting back on the budget. The whole family could probably live without HBO or Cinemax.

Clean out the attic and have a garage sale

You never know what treasures you may have hidden in those moldy old closets. Try selling your old toys at specialty stores.

Saving money is a creative act in itself

There are many ways to cut corners when it comes to saving money and all you have to do is have the self-discipline to follow through on them. It may take a while for your finances to straighten out but until then a general belt tightening is in order.

Avoiding Financial Black Holes

Have you been saving money incessantly and still find yourself a bit short? Aside from the usual spending on clothes and food there are other necessities that you can cut back on. This may seem the height of cheapness but finding ways to cut back on your basic needs will go a long to way to stretch your limited budget. Here are some ways to cut back on spending on your basic needs.

House

This is probably your largest money black hole. Whether you’re renting or your paying the mortgage, the roof over your head sucks a large percentage of your income. Have you ever considered alternative ways of living?

Utility bills

Paying for your utility bills are a great expense. Save on your heating bills by turning down the thermostat every winter.

In the summer use the drapes to keep the house cool. Adjust the thermostat in rooms that aren’t in use. Why are you paying the money for nothing? Switch to compact fluorescent lighting to save on your energy bills.

Cut down your long distance telephone calls. Choose the right telephone plan and internet service provider for your needs. Do you really need that super speed internet or can you be content with something that is less fast but cheaper? There are many ways to save money on your main utilities.

Decorating

Everyone wants to live in a beautiful house. But you don’t have to go overboard to have an aesthetically pleasing house. Second hand shopping will be your most effective method of having an elegant interior decorating.

You can also look at your old furniture and find ways to make it new again. You can paint that old cabinet and use it as an entertainment center. Your style doesn’t have to be hampered by steep prices.

You can still have that modern living room but without the obscene price tag. Just look for the bargain pieces and be patient in collecting. You may not have your ideal living room in one go.

Appliances

Your large appliance are expensive to repair or replace. Will the energy savings from buying a new refrigerator unit cover the cost of buying a new unit? If you can fix the problem yourself do so. You would be surprised at how many seemingly technical problems are relatively easy to fix.

Before buying a new appliance, you should take into consideration the cost of such a move. Repairing the unit might be cheaper. Take a while on your decision. There’s no rush when it comes to saving money.

Repairs

Calling for the repairman or the plumber can eat a lot into your savings. The cost of the service alone is expensive without even adding the cost of the materials. Ask for references and ask for an estimate. And like going to a doctor, ask for a second opinion.

Don’t settle for cheaper labor. It may not cost you as much but it will when you have to do the repair over again. References are very important.

Teach Your Teen How to Budget

There are several important things teens need to know as they grow up. While some things they have learned the easy way, others they might have to learn the hard way. One of them is budgeting.

Budgeting poses a challenge to everyone, especially to the uninitiated. So it is best that we teach teens the proper ways to budget to minimize the surprises they will get when their bills arrive.

Below are helpful steps on how teens can learn to budget:

• Help your teen child in itemizing expenses every month.
• Make a list of their total income, scholarships and allowances. Include the money they have set aside.
• Subtract the total expenses from their total income.
• If the expenses are higher than that of the total income, teach them on how they can trim down their expenses.
• In their budgeting strategy, let them create a savings account where they can save for future expenses like an apartment, student loan or even a car.

You can do it together in a place comfortable and convenient for you. Make sure they understand why you have to teach them to budget. This will make them debt-free and avoid too much overspending.

If they want to buy something, they have to cut some of their expenses for a month and save some money for the thing they fancy.

Credit Cards for College Kids

Emergencies are bound to arise in your college life. This is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you have to be unprepared for it. In fact, you should be well aware of one of the things that can aid you during emergencies, especially those that involve cash: credit cards. Yes, that reliable plastic can save you when you’re in deep cash trouble. Ironically, it may also be the cause of your cash troubles.

Should a college freshman apply for a credit card? Are college kids mature enough to handle this responsibility? These two questions are probably plaguing your parents’ minds. A credit card is a quick way to create a long-lasting debt, and that possibility might be what is keeping your parents from allowing you to apply for a credit card.

On a more positive note, though, credit cards can help you establish a credit card history, can assure you of some sort of security, and can teach you a thing or two about independence and maturity.

So which is which? Are you going to apply for a credit card or not? You’re probably bouncing off the walls to hear your parents say yes, but before you immerse yourself in credit card hullabaloos, make sure you are aware of these key points:

• A credit card isn’t free money.
• Each time you swipe your credit card to make a purchase, you are, in effect, borrowing money from the credit card company.
• You eventually have to pay for all the purchases you make.
• Do not charge your credit card for something you know you cannot pay back.
• Delaying the payment for credit card bills increases interest charges so make it a point to pay up on time.

Once you ttake note of these things and you think you’re ready to have your own credit card, then the next thing for you to do is to convince your parents to give you one.

When Your Teen Wants a Car

Your 16-year-old son catches you off guard during dinner: "Dad, I want my own car." You know it’s inevitable, that sooner or later, your son will want to drive his own car. But still, what your teenager just said makes you choke. Will you let him have one? You know that a lot of teenagers own cars, but what good will it do yo your son? When thinking about whether or not your teen should own a car, consider the following points:

What is your child’s motivation?

The first consideration is to know whether your teen needs or wants a car. Does he really need it, or just want one since all his friends have cars? If he goes from school right on to his part-time job, and straight to his soccer practice after work on a daily basis, then giving him a car makes good sense. However, if his primary motivation is to cruise around with friends on Saturday nights, then he doesn’t need a car.

Is he ready?

If you think that your teen is well prepared and responsible enough to drive his own car, then it is OK to buy him one. Create a driving contract between you and your teen. For example, if he violates a traffic rule and gets a ticket, he must agree to pay the cost of the traffic ticket. Your teen should not drink and drive, or even carry alcohol in his car.

Also, your teen must pay for damages he causes to his car not covered by insurance. It must also be his responsibility to keep his car clean all the time, check the oil, refill the gas tank, and so forth. He must also agree that he will always buckle up and never load up more passengers in his car than there are seat belts.

Is it practical for you and your child?

As mentioned, having a car will be very practical for your teen if he is busy with school, work, and extracurricular activities. But, how about you? Will letting him get a car makes your life bliss? You are spending significant amount of time if your teenager’s school is about 30 minutes from home and you have to make two round trips daily. This, of course, does not include the travel time from school to his work and to his soccer practice. Letting him drive could take tons of pressure off your shoulder.

Do you have the money?

If you think buying a car for your teenager will strain your finances and if your child does not have the means to pay for the maintenance of the car, it is best to postpone the purchase. That is, until your financial status improves or until your teenager can buy it himself.

Coping with Financial Stress

Disaster can strike an individual sometimes at a time that he or she didn’t expects it. When it comes to one’s financial status, a disaster can indeed cause a lot of stress. A job layoff, a stock market crash, a house fire, a medical emergency can lead to a financial crises which can bring quite considerable stress. Being able to cope with the stress can help one stay sane and with the feet still standing firmly on the ground.

Prompt Action

The effects of a financial crisis can be immediate. That is why prompt action is needed. There is no need to react to the situation in shock. It will only delay the inevitable and would lead to worse situations. Whenever a financial crisis is to be expected, one should look upon it from a constructive point of view.

One should try to look at what can be done to remedy the situation instead of wallowing in the crisis, seemingly helpless. When one is being laid off from a job, it won’t help the situation by just sitting by and thinking about what happened. The best approach would be to take the opportunity to look for other available employment opportunities out there.

Keep Everyone Involved

In an event of a financial crisis, it would be good to involve the family in terms of finding solutions. Since in a family setting, a financial crisis can affect every member, they should also be called upon to contribute in whatever way they can.

Children can try to help around the house if the parents need to work more hours to cope up with the crisis. They can even take jobs if they are already old enough to do so. It would help getting over the crisis easier, knowing that everyone is doing their best to contribute.

Maintain a Sense of Normalcy

It makes no sense trying to think of the crisis and its effect on life all the time. People should try to detach themselves sometimes from the problems engulfing them just to stay sane. One way to do this is by trying to maintain routines. One can still try to meet up with friends on the usual Saturday to have fun.

Families can still find time to get together and talk regularly, even if it is just on the dining table. Maintaining that routine that one has grown accustomed to even before the crisis can help bring a sense of normalcy into one’s life. It can help prevent getting too overwhelmed by the problems.

Financial Therapy for Money Disorder

After amassing a great deal of fortune from her career, country music sensation Wynonna Judd said in The New York Times interview she threw much of it away, spending ridiculous amount of money at her children out of guilt for not having much quality time with them. She also bought more cars than she needed. Having grown up in an underprivileged family in Appalachia, she said she found herself with "everything and nothing at all."

Money disorders

With the battered American economy, compounded by the inability to manage spending effectively, more and more people are suffering from the so-called "money disorders." Money disorders are those heaps of self-destructive and unhealthy behaviors. While they’re not as extreme as compulsive shopping, kleptomania, or pathological gambling, they nevertheless affect significant numbers of people.

People with money disorders have the following problems: overspending, underspending, serial borrowing, workaholism, financial infidelity (spending without the knowledge of a spouse or a partner), financial enabling (giving huge amount of money to people who are not motivated to fend themselves), financial incest (giving money to relatives to have some control over them), and hoarding.

Workshops, programs, and money rehabs

Judd and many people like her who have money problems can be "treated" by workshops, programs, and money rehabs. In a money rehab, Judd dug really deep into the root cause of her money disorder.

Onsite in Nashville is one of the workshops and programs devoted to treating money disorders. It involves financial counseling and group therapy. Judd attended this program in 2004 and said it helped her transform her self-destructive financial behaviors. She said in an interview, "If I can do it, anyone can. I’m in absolute financial recovery. I live by cash only, by cash budget."

The role of therapists

The American Psychological Association’s (APA) professional code of ethics holds that therapists must not have outside relationships with clients; this includes business arrangements such as financial planning. However, the financial therapy field is still young. Many therapists say that the ethics are still murky when it comes to therapists who are also financial planners.

The role of financial planners

Many financial planners team up with therapists in helping clients who have money problems. This combination can be highly effective. As financial planner Rick Kahler out it, "I’ve never seen clients make progress faster than when they are working with me and a psychologist, preferably in the same meeting."

However, many financial planners don’t see the need to have therapists on their team because therapists have the tendency to give the clients life advice. According to Morris Armstrong, a financial planner based in Danbury, Connecticut, "I don’t necessarily think that everybody needs to have the Dr. Phil of financial planning."

Aspirin Linked to Microbleeds in the Brain

A recent study conducted in the Netherlands has found out that people who regularly take aspirin have more incidences of tiny bleeding episodes in the brain. Physicians at Erasmus MC University Medical Center in Rotterdam have come into this conclusion after analysis over 1,000 magnetic resonance imaging examination results.

Published in the online edition of Archives of Neurology, the study shows that people who are taking aspirin or carbasalate calcium, which is chemically related to aspirin, have 70 percent more chances of getting "microbleeds" compared to those who are not taking such anti-clotting drugs. The doctors have also noted that other clot-preventing drugs such as heparin do not have the same effect on the brain.

Aspirin and carbasalate calcium are taken to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems like heart attack and stroke as they prevent the formation of clots by acting against the platelets, the blood cell known to form clots.

Despite the link between aspirin and microbleeds, researchers are still baffled on how these tiny bursts of blood to the brain occur and how it will affect us in the future. Some data indicate that microbleeds are associated with reduced brain function, but their role is unclear.

Genes That May Affect Your Health

The human body is quite unique and interesting, so much that scientists still has a lot to learn about it. And what some scientists have discovered is that certain physical characteristics may be able to help tell about the health conditions in certain people. Here are some of them.

Length of Fingers

According to a study made in 2008, women with index fingers that are shorter than their ring fingers may be two times more at risk of developing osteoarthritis in the knees. This characteristic is known to occur predominantly in men. In the case of women, they tend to have lower levels of estrogen which may be seen to play a role in the development of osteoarthritis.

Earlobe Wrinkles

Another physical characteristic that may also predict one’s health concerns wrinkles found on the earlobes. Medical experts have discovered that linear wrinkles found in the earlobe may be able to predict the likelihood of cardiovascular conditions. People with creases in one earlobe may be 33 percent more at risk of heart attacks or other cardiac conditions.

Having wrinkles in both earlobes increases the risk by 77 percent. Although doctors are not exactly sure why this happens, they believe that it is due to the loss of the skins elastic fibers that may be causing the crease as well as may play a role in the hardening of the arteries.

Small Calves

A French study made recently has found a relationship between stroke risk and a woman’s calf size. The study suggests that women with calf sizes that are 13 inches or less are more likely to develop carotid plaques which are known risk factors for stroke. Experts believe that larger calves contain subcutaneous fat that may help pull fatty acids from the bloodstream and then store them where they are less likely to become risk factors for stroke.

Arm Length

Shorter arms may also affect one’s health. Another study suggests that people with shorter arm spans 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. A possible reason might be that certain nutritional and other associated deficits during the critical growing years may have brought about the shorter arm spans in people. This might also affect the cognitive processes and latter decline in life.

Understanding Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation, pain, swelling and tissue damage occurring throughout the body. It is primarily caused by the body’s immune system trying to attack its own tissues instead of attacking foreign bodies like bacteria and viruses. Lupus can affect many parts of the body including the joints, heart, lungs, kidneys and even blood cells.

Lupus Cause

Just like many other types of autoimmune diseases, medical experts have yet to discover what causes lupus. Many experts believe that the cause may be attributed to both genetics and the environment. They believe that an individual can inherit a predisposition to developing lupus. But it may take coming into contact with a so-called trigger from the environment such as a type of medication or a virus that may lead to lupus.

Lupus Symptoms

Lupus may affect different people in different ways. There are no general signs and symptoms that affect all lupus patients. Whatever signs and symptoms that show may depend on what part of the body the disease may be affecting. Symptoms can range from fever, fatigue, joint pain, weight loss or gain, skin lesions, mouth sores, chest pain and even memory loss. These symptoms may develop either suddenly or in a gradual manner. They can also either be mild or severe depending on the extent of the problem.

Lupus Treatment

Treatment for lupus would depend on the symptoms as well as what part of the body the disease might be affecting. It is important that individuals suffering from lupus should talk with their doctors to determine what type of treatment would be effective for their case. The level of the treatment would also depend on how aggressive the signs and the symptoms of lupus show in different individuals.

Some of the possible medications that may be provided would include Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs or NSAID’s, corticosteroids and antimalarial drugs which have been known to prevent flare ups of the disease in some people. An important thing that doctors also consider when giving treatment for lupus on certain individuals is the potential side effects that they might bring. Corticosteriods and antimalarial drugs are known to cause certain side effects.

Weird Body Quirks And Their Solutions

Sometimes our bodies react so strangely to things. But as with everything, there is an explanation for these common but weird reactions – and solutions too.

Brain freeze

I’ve always liked the term brain freeze. It’s kind of cool actually – I sometimes wait for someone’s forehead to turn blue whenever they get a brain freeze. No such luck. It’s because it’s just the nerves at the roof of the mouth reacting to something cold you ate, and triggering the blood vessels in front of your head to constrict. For quick relief from this "frozen treat headache", press your tongue to the roof of your mouth to warm it up.

Excessive sweating

Excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis is a fairly common problem, and it happens (even) to healthy people. It usually occurs in the face, palms, soles, and armpits. Treatment usually includes aluminum chloride, antiperspirants, prescription antiperspirants, iontophoresis, Botox injections, oral medications, or surgery.

Vertigo

Vertigo is the sensation that the room is moving when it’s not. It can be caused by an inner ear inflammation, or decreased blood flow to the brain, vertigo can last for minutes, even hours. To distinguish vertigo from dizziness, there should be a feeling of motion. Other symptoms of vertigo include nausea or vomiting, sweating, and unusual eye movements. Treatment for vertigo depends on the cause.

Pins and needles

The pins and needles feeling when your arm goes to sleep is caused by lack of movement of constant pressure on that body part, leaving cells unable to transmit messages to the brain. The cure is very simple – move. Chronic pins and needles may be a sign of a more serious underlying condition. If this is the case, see your doctor.

Hiccups

Hiccups are an uncontrollable contraction of the diaphragm. It is usually caused by eating to fast, drinking too much alcohol, or swallowing air. Hiccups usually go away on their own. To hasten hiccups away, try holding your breath, quickly drinking water, or breathing in a bag.

Source: WebMD

Steps to Add Years to Your Life

Adding years to your life seems to be such a challenging task to do. Some may see it as something difficult to achieve. But one must also realize that small changes in one’s daily lifestyle may contribute to add years to life. Diet is just but one aspect of it. Here are some other simple and easy steps that you can try out in order to add years into your life.

Eat more salads.

Eating more green, leafy vegetable salads can do a lot in increasing your life expectancy in case you decide to include it into your daily diet. Raw, green salads are more effective since further processing may diminish the nutrients that they contain. Eating even a cup of green salad a day can be enough to extend your life expectancy by two years, according ti Italian researchers. Make sure that you don’t forget to add a bit of dressing since the fat content in it can help boost the body’s absorption of certain nutrients found in your salad.

Add nuts into your diet.

Nuts have long been known to provide several health benefits. A regular diet of nuts which may include walnuts, almonds, pecans and peanuts can help increase your life expectancy by about three years. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day may do the trick.

Have more friends.

People yearn for the company of friends most of the time. But who would have known that they can also help extend your life expectancy by about seven years? It seems to be true according to an Australian study of people aging 70 years old and older. Researchers found out that those who come into contact with the largest network of friends also seem to have a longer lease on life. The company and the friendship seem to help add years into life. The earlier the network of friends is built, the better its effect on adding more fruitful years to your life.

Have a positive outlook.

Keeping a positive mind not only helps make life easier to cope up with, it can also help add years to your life. A Yale study composed of senior adults showed that those with a more positive outlook on aging lived seven years longer than those who dread the days of deteriorating health brought by aging. A simple change of outlook in life can help a lot in determining if you live well into your age or not.

Boosting Immune System Health

The best way to combat illness and most health ailments is by having a good and healthy immune system to protect your body against infections. Boosting your immune system helps ensure that you are well protected against various health conditions especially those brought about by the cold weather and the flu season. Here are some ways in which you may be able to boost up your immune system.

Get plenty of rest.

Taking time to give your body the rest that it needs helps give it time to recover and repair. Getting the right amounts of sleep regularly will make this possible. You would need to get at least 6 to 10 hours of shut eye daily, depending on your age as well as your own physical predisposition.

Drink plenty of water.

Keeping yourself hydrated can help your body work more efficiently. Doing the opposite can actually cause you to suffer from certain conditions like frequent headaches. It may also affect your immune system to quite a degree that may determine your protection against certain illnesses brought by infections.

Limit your sugar intake.

Refined sugars and other artificial sweeteners can also affect your immune system. High sugar levels in the blood can put a stress to your pancreas and may affect how your immune system may function. If you are fond of sweets and follow a diet high in sugar, simply by cutting back on your sugar intake and reducing your body’s cravings for it may be enough to help boost your immune system.

Spend more time outdoors.

The winter season may sometimes oblige you to stay indoors most of the time because of the weather. This can also put a strain on your well-being. You might be surrounded by filtered air indoors that may yet contain germs coming from other people. Staying in such an environment may increase your chances of getting infected.

One way to avoid it is by trying to spend more time outdoors if you can. This will allow you to get fresh air more as well as provide you with some time to put in some exercise. Try to walk outside as much as you can or try to find ways to have fun on the snow. This might help give you that immune system boost that you need.

Myths And Facts About Hangover Cures

Hangovers have been a constant dread for those who party hard. Enjoying an all-nighter with booze always is accompanied with that concern of getting massive hangovers the next day. A lot of cures have been offered through the years to prevent or get rid of a hangover. Here are some interesting concoctions that works and some that most think works but doesn’t.

Bacon Sandwich

There are some who believe that bacon sandwich may be a good cure for a hangover. Some believe that it is the bread that soaks up the alcohol. Apart from that, a recent study at Newcastle University’s Center for Life does suggest that a bacon sandwich may really offer relief from a hangover. But it does not do so by simply soaking up all the alcohol drank the night before.

A bacon sandwich, according to the study, contains lots of carbohydrates that can boost sugar levels and speed up the metabolism. This helps get rid of the alcohol quicker. Protein in the bacon contains amino acids that help recover the depleted neurotransmitters in the brain that was caused by drinking too much alcohol.

Isotonic Sports Drinks

Sports drinks also seem to be effective in relieving hangovers. Such drinks do so by rehydrating the body. Too much alcohol can cause dehydration which then can mean the loss of body salts and electrolytes as well as minerals. Sports drinks are known to be 40 percent more effective in rehydrating the body than water which can then help restore blood sugar levels faster.

Exercise

Many believe that sweating out a hangover may cure it. But this doesn’t seem to be the case. Physical exercise the day after drinking too much alcohol may not work to relieve the hangover. It may even worsen the situation as the physical activity may further dehydrate the body and make the condition worse.

Black Coffee

Some believe that the caffeine in coffee may help relieve a hangover by improving alertness. But the opposite seems to be true. Drinking black coffee can actually make the hangover worse. Drinking water to rehydrate the body may be a better option.