Thursday, April 4, 2013

Allergies Getting Worse

If it feels like your allergies are getting worse, you're probably right.

If you're suffering from allergies right now, then you're not alone. And experts are saying this season could be a long and tough one.

Nationwide allergies, especially in the Spring, seem to be getting worse and worse. Part of this is because of the warmer winters, allowing more pollen and dust this time of the year. Our Spring allergy season usually starts out towards the end of March and the first part of April. Traditionally the first pollens release are trees, followed over the months by grasses then weeds. But this year clinics are already starting to see increases in allergy related symptoms and those usually allergic later on to grasses and weeds might start having problems sooner than normal.

That means you might not be doing the things you need to do to get on top of your allergies.

These steps include taking allergy medicines starting now to prevent symptoms in the first place. It's always easier to fight allergies by taking medication at the first sign of symptoms then to try and play catch up once full blown symptoms have started. Other recommendations include staying indoors during the morning, especially before 10 a.m. Also, keep track of the daily pollen count. If it's particularly high, or it's going to be a very windy and dry day, stay inside with your doors and windows shut and the air conditioner on. At the end of the day, before you head off to bed, take a quick shower. That will make sure pollen that collected on your hair during the day doesn't spread to your pillow. You'll just end up breaking them in during the night. The goal here is to continue to enjoy the great weather we have without paying the price of a bad allergy day.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Teens & Heart Health

When it comes to heart disease there is one group in particular that is setting themselves up for problems later on.

We're talking about teenagers and unfortunately many of them are leading lives that will take a toll on their heart later on.

As a matter of fact some experts estimate that less than half of adolescents here in the U.S. live what could be considered heart healthy lives. that means they tend to have poor diets and don't exercise much. These habits could be setting up a new future generation of heart-disease patients.

In the latest study looking into this, researchers found that 80% of teenagers had poor diets that were high in fast foods, processed foods and sugar sweetened drinks. They also didn't eat many fruits and vegetables. They also found that less than half the teen girls in the study and slightly more than half of the boys exercised for an hour or more per day.

They are saying this should be a wake-up call for all of us since in 3 to 4 decades these same teens will be the ones bearing the brunt of their bad eating and exercising habits.

Making small changes now, especially for kids even younger than this, should hopefully reverse this trend. Getting them to eat better and exercise more, especially by setting the example ourselves, can go a long way towards keeping their heart healthy later on.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Family Dinners Are Important

Family dinners are a great way to stay connected with your kids.

Family dinners definitely fall under the category that "more is better." And a new study is showing that the more often the entire family sits down to eat dinner the better it is for the kids overall.

As a matter of fact, study after study has shown the great benefit of the family meal. Sitting down with your kids and talking about the day is a great way to keep connected and find out what's going on in their lives. It also helps in more ways than you'd probably think. Children who eat at least 3 sit-down dinners with their family every week are also less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. They also tend to do better in school and are less likely to engage in sex at an early age.

But in this new study, researchers found that with each additional dinner added per week the children ended up having fewer emotional and behavioral problems as well. They also ended up having a higher life satisfaction overall.

Granted, we all have busy schedules and with a busy day at work, hectic after school activities and homework, it get tougher and tougher to sit down together and eat a meal. The important part isn't what's served, but what's talked about at the table. Use this as an opportunity for your children to share what "they" want to. They might not want to talk about everything that went on that day, especially if something is particularly bothering them, so don't push the issue. Just let them know you're there to listen. And when they do bring up controversial subjects, like drugs or sex --- don't judge them since that'll just cause them to shut down, but give them your beliefs and then listen some more. So tonight, sit down and enjoy a meal with the most important people in your life.

Flu Season - Lessons Learned

The flu season is winding down, but this year it hit some of us pretty hard. So, what did we learn this time around?

What we learned is that the flu shot is important, especially for those groups most likely to suffer complications because of the flu.

According to the CDC, although this flu season was what they called "moderately severe" overall it did hit the elderly hard and took its toll on children as well. This flu season started in December, a month earlier than usual. It peaked by the end of the year, but flu cases were still reported throughout the last few months.

Unfortunately, it did kill 105 children so far. That's close to the average number of children killed by the flu each year, 100. But the CDC did find out that 90% of the children who died from the flu this year and were old enough to get the flu shot, didn't.

The flu vaccine, although it doesn't give 100% protection from the flu, still keeps you and your children's chances of dying or getting hospitalized because of the flue as low as possible. So this coming fall, make sure you and your children get the one vaccine that can protect you from the flu bug that's sure to make its yearly visit.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Cutting Risk Of Getting Cancer

Want to cut your chances of getting cancer in half? There are 7 steps that can help you do just that.

And the added benefit is that not only will it cut your chances of getting cancer in half, but it'll also keep your heart healthy.

Years ago the American Heart Association came out with 7 steps that will keep your heart healthy. They are: 1. Get active; 2.Control your cholesterol; 3. Eat better by eating those things that are good for you and avoiding those that aren't; 4. Keep your blood pressure better managed; 5. Lose weight; 6. Reduce your blood sugar below 100; 7. - This is the big one - Quit smoking

Of these steps, quitting smoking is the biggest one you can take for your overall health. But now researchers have found that following these steps will also cut your chances of getting cancer and the more of them you follow the better. As a matter of fact, if you follow 4 steps you cut your chance by a third. But just upping that to 6 steps that you follow, can cut your chance of getting cancer in half.

That's a pretty good bargain, especially since these same steps started off as simple ways to keep your heart healthy. Kind of a two for one deal that will keep you going well into your senior years.

Concussion Guidelines

Concussion experts have released new guidelines for treating this type of head injury. The main thing behind these new guidelines is a more individualized approach instead of the one system of treating concussions the same for everyone.

Over the last few years we've not only found out more and more about just how damaging and long-term concussions issues can be but also about how subtle they are.

Now the American Academy of Neurology, the brain doctors group, has come out with recommended guidelines about how to treat concussions. And their overall message is to treat every athlete with a concussion on a case-by-case basis, instead of a one big approach for everyone. This starts off with the initial injury, when it can sometimes be difficult to tell if it's a concussion or not. They recommend that anyone even suspected of having a concussion be removed from play and not be allowed back in until they've been cleared by a health professional trained in treating them. This means there are no guidelines as to how long to keep someone out like there were in the past, instead it depends on the individuals own recovery. And that will be different for each person.

They also reemphasize that concussion signs can be subtle, like a sensitivity to light, changes in sleep patterns, or even just slower reaction times. All things that need to be back to normal before the athlete gets back into the game.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Keeping Our Brains Going

This is national Brain Awareness Week. That means it's a great time to learn how to keep our brains going as we get older. So, what can we do to keep our brains healthy?

Playing games might be just when the doctor ordered. At least when it comes to avoiding dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

We're talking about mind games, things like Sudoku or chess. But even games like Angry Birds, or other smart phone apps or video games, might help keep your brain sharp as you get older.

We've known for some time that both mind games and physical activity do seem to work hand-in-hand to keep the mind sharp as we get older. But now we known that the same things might also help keep the bigger problem of Alzheimer's at bay. Recent research found those study participants who played more mind games also had less of the protein build up in the brain though to cause Alzheimer's Disease.

According to these researchers, it didn't matter what types of games or mind activities someone used, just that did them early and often. As a matter of fact, starting them in early and middle life seemed to offer the most protection from this protein buildup.

But no matter how young or old you are, it is really never too later to start picking up the game habit. So grab a puzzle or a smartphone game and start playing away. That might be one big step towards keeping your mind sharp.