Tuesday, January 31, 2012

iPad Shoulder

You may have heard of BlackBerry thumb, well how about iPad shoulder?

It sounds painful and it can be, especially if you've been using an iPad or other tablet computer for a while.

These new conditions are a byproduct of our increasingly convenient technologies. BlackBerry thumb refers to the pain someone gets from texting too much. It's a repetitive type of injury. But now doctors are seeing more patients complain of shoulder and neck pain and finding out it's probably related to their tablet computer, or more specifically how they use that tablet.

Most of us hold the tablet either flat on a table or our laps, or vertically up in the air. Both of these positions can force you to use a poor posture and that can put a strain on your neck and shoulders. The longer you use the tablet the more that strain can grow.

Some things you can do to avoid this problem are to switch positions during the day when you're using the tablet. This will allow body areas to get a break every now and then. Also, when using a tablet, put it down every now and then and stretch out your neck and shoulder muscles. And although this might defeat some of the benefits of a tablet, using a keyboard can help as well. The main thing is to make sure your technology is helping you and not hurting you.

Chocking Game

You may not have heard of it, but chances are your kids have. And it's a game that can be deadly.

It's called the "choking game" or sometimes just "the game" and is exactly like it sounds. Someone chokes themselves, or has someone do it for them, to try and get a buzz. But that "game" has led to deaths. And unfortunately, according to a new study, more students are doing it than we thought.

Researchers from the Sam Houston State University found that almost 1 out of every 7 students surveyed had played this deadly game at one time or another. And on the average, most of them started when they were only 14.

What essentially happens is someone will try and choke themselves with their hands, or have someone else do it. That cuts off the blood supply to the brain and causes a very brief buzz. That buzz comes from brain cells not getting the oxygen they need. Unfortunately, this also led to fainting, seizures and convulsions and in some instances death. Sometimes, something wrapped around the neck or plastic bags over the head are used for the same reason.

What the survey did show was that oftentimes the main reason for playing this game was simply curiosity. Most had heard about it from their friends. So, talking to your kids about this game and its dangers is one key to making sure they don't end up getting hurt because of it.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Allergic To Cold Weather

You've heard of people being allergic to all sorts of things. But can they actually be allergic to cold weather?

As odd as it sounds, people can truly be allergic to the cold.

Every now and then doctors see patients with allergic hives and can't quite figure out what is causing the obvious allergic reaction. After testing for the usual offenders, things like detergent, shellfish, nuts and animal dander, the doctor scratches his or her head and ends up treating the symptoms without being able to figure out the cause. And although the strangest things can seemingly cause an allergic reaction, including cold weather, it's been hard to pin down if this is a true phenomenon or not. Until now.

A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine found a genetic mutation in people with this kind of allergy. In other words, they've found out it really does happen and now they know why.

Usually what happens is after being out in the cold weather for a few minutes, someone with this type of allergy will start getting itchy hives. In extreme cases they might even develop life-threatening reactions. The treatment is to warm up. To be safe, taking an antihistamine before going out in the cold weather can help. And keeping an Epipen, used to treat severe reactions, on hand when out in the cold is a potentially life-saving step.

Playing Games Help Fight Alzheimer's

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

We are talking about mind games, things like Sudoku and chess. But even games like Angry Birds, that smartphone APP, might help keep you from getting Alzheimer's.

We've known for some time that both mind games and physical activity worked to keep the mind sharp as we get older. But now we know that the same things might also help keep the bigger problem of Alzheimer's at bay.

Research, just published in the Journal Archives of Neurology, found that those study participants that played more mind games also had less of the protein build up in the brain thought to cause Alzheimer's Disease.

According to these researchers, it didn't matter what types of games or mind activities someone used, just that they 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 late 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.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Acne & Overweight Girls

Acne is one of the tough parts of the teenage years. But overweight teen girls seem to have a higher risk of this than other teens.

Most of us can think back to our teen years and remember that acne breakout right before a big event, like the prom or school photos. And today's teens still have to work through this tough skin time period in their lives. But for overweight or obese teen girls, acne might be an even tougher issue.

Researchers recently questioned teenagers about their health and lifestyle habits. They found a connection between acne and weight for girls, but surprisingly not for boys. These researchers found that girls who were overweight or obese also reported more overall problems with acne.

But what the researchers didn't know was what was causing this connection. It's possible that overweight and obese girls have more self image issues, so pay closer attention to their skin issues as well. But it's also possible that being overweight causes hormonal issues that can make acne worse. Either way, getting weight under control, for both teenage boys and girls can go a long way towards improving their health. And it might also help improve their skin as well.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Sitting & Depression

We tend to sit most of our days. But can sitting too much lead to depression?

It turns out that sitting, especially if you do it most of the day, can be bad for your health in more ways than one.

We've known for a few years that sitting too much during the day raises your chances of being overweight. And although exercise is important, it's the little fidgeting we do while standing during the day that really helps keep those extra pounds away. So, spending house sitting at work can lead to a bigger waistline.

But new research is showing that same long sitting time can also take its toll on your mental health. Scientists looked at more than 1,000 workers and compared how long they sat to how healthy they were and how well they felt. Turns out on average most of us sit more than 5.5 hours at our desks every day. And this study found the more people sat, the more they weighed. But surprisingly researchers also found the more people sat, the more problems they had with their mental well being. And the more people sat at work, the more they tended to sit at home as well, adding to the amount of "down" time they had, which can take an even bigger toll on their health.

But the solution is simple. If you can get a standing desk, great. But if not, taking breaks a few times every hour just to stand up and stretch can help. And instead of sending an e-mail or talking to an office worker on the phone, get up and make it a face-to-face conversation. That little step could help you look and feel better.

Distracted Walking

You see them just about everywhere these days, earbuds and headphones. But wearing them might increase your chances of getting run over.

We are talking about the small buds or even larger headphones people use to listen to music. They fit nicely inside the ear and give you a great sound, but they also tend to block out any outside noise and that's where the problem comes in.

It's basically distracted walking and it's taking a bigger toll around the country than you'd probably think. A new study has found that the number of pedestrians seriously injured or killed while walking near roads or railways while wearing headphones or earbuds has tripled in the last 6 years alone. Although the numbers are still small, with only 47 deaths happening this way last year, that's still a big increase for the 16 occurring back in 2004 and 2005. This study, published in the Journal Prevention found that in some cases horns or even sirens were used before the pedestrian was struck.

We've heard recently about the issues with distracted driving, but now it looks like we need to concentrate a bit more on avoiding distracted walking. Something that unfortunately could prove fatal. But the solution is simple, turn down the volume and pay attention to what's going on around you, especially if crossing a street.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Nicotine Patches: Do They Work?

When it comes to quitting smoking, that nicotine patch many use might not do the trick.

It looks like the nicotine replacements don't work as well as most of us thought, at least not by themselves.

Hopefully many smokers are trying to break the habit this new year. That's one of the best things you can do for your own health. But according to this new study, if you're just using nicotine patches, gum or lozenges alone, that might not do the trick.

Researchers have found that these nicotine substitutes didn't help someone quit smoking over the long term any more than just going cold turkey. Those types of nicotine replacements were not the "magic" pill needed to kick the habit. But they do seem to work well if used along with professional therapy offering counseling and advice on how to cut back on this habit. As a matter of fact, those trying to quit by using the patches or gum alone ended up smoking again twice as often as those using these same nicotine replacements along with counseling.

And here in Colorado that counseling, and the nicotine patches, are supplied for free. All you need to do is call the Colorado Quitline. It's funded by the state and is set up to help you with what you need to quit, something that's sometimes tough to do on your own. To get a hold of the Quitline simply call 1-800-Quit-Now or go to www.coquit.org.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Eating Out Weight Loss

You want to lose weight, but find yourself eating out a lot. What can you do?

It basically has to do with portion control, but oftentimes that's easier said than done.

If you're trying to lose weight, or even more often simply trying not to gain weight, then eating out can be tough. That's mainly because of the big calorie laden portions restaurants serve.

And what most of us don't realize is that our brains are trained to "clean" off our plates so more than likely whatever is put in front of us goes into our stomachs. So cutting back on what's served to you can also cut down on your weight. In a word, controlling your portions can also help control your weight.

Some tips experts give include splitting a meal with someone else, that way you only get half of what's served. And in most restaurants, that half will be more than enough. Also, instead of ordering an entree plate order off the a la carte side of the menu. In other words did you really want three tacos with rice and beans or just a couple of tacos by themselves? By simply using these tips researchers were able to get a group of middle aged women to lose 3 to 4 pounds over a six week period. They simply did it by watching portion size, picking less fattening foods and putting down their forks before they felt stuffed. Something all of us can do, especially when eating out.

Kids, Junk Food & ADHD

Kids and junk food go hand-in-hand, but could that be one reason behind the rise in ADHD.

It looks like food might affect more than just the weight of a child, especially if they have ADHD.

Over the last few years, there have been a lot of diets that claim to help control Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in kids. These have included diets that restricted certain types of food coloring or eliminated things they might be allergic to like wheat, eggs or nuts. But researchers found that these types of restrictive diets don't actually do much in the way of controlling ADHD symptoms. Instead these researchers found that the best way to help out, diet wise, was to put the child on what is essentially a healthy and balanced eating program. After looking at more than 70 prior studies and grouping the results all together, these researchers found that a simple diet high in whole grains along with fruits and veggies, while staying low in fats did the best at controlling kids ADHD symptoms.

But they also point out that oftentimes diet alone might not do the trick and should be used in combination with behavioral therapy and treatments with medication when needed. But all in all, getting your kids on a healthy diet, in addition to simply keeping them healthier, might also get some behaviors under control.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Acts Of Kindness & Mood

Can random acts of kindness improve your own mood? Turns out it can.

You probably heard stories over this past holiday season about people's "good Samaritan" acts. They donated time, donated money, paid off other people's layaway bills. Although this happens often during the holidays, doing something to help someone else anytime during the year may actually help you.

Research is showing that helping someone else out can actually treat depression. And this type of treatment is very effective and usually low cost. According to the researchers involved in a new study, although doing something positive for someone else might only seem like it makes you feel good for a short time after, it can actually have a longer lasting effect. And the more often it's done, the longer that effect hangs around.

Plus, in a pay-it-forward kind of way, it can actually affect other parts of your life as well. Helping others can help your depression, which puts you in a better mood. Your family or co-workers might recognize this better mood and compliment you on something, putting you in an even better mood. This can snowball over time to help increase your own self worth.

So the secret here is to do something for someone else, and it doesn't even have to cost you anything. Thank the cashier at the store, help someone shovel snow, or even let someone take the parking spot you were eyeballing. These simple acts can go a long way towards improving your own mood all year long.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Exercise For Kids Makes Them Smarter

Exercise can help keep your kids fit. But now it looks like it might also help keep them smart.

Turns out this is another example of the overall health benefits of exercise, especially as children and their brains are developing.

A group of Dutch scientists combed through earlier research on children to see how exercise actually affected them. They looked at over 12,000 children from the United States, Canada and South Africa. These researchers found a huge connection between exercise and academic performance. As a matter of fact, they found the more physical activity children had the higher test scores they also had, especially in the basic subjects Math, English and Reading.

According to the authors of this study, part of the reason this might be happening is because exercise increases the blood and oxygen flow to the brain. This can help increase the hormones that reduce stress and at the same time bring on new nerve cells in the brain which help with academics.

So in addition to hitting the books, getting regular exercise this year might translate to a better report card.

Healthy Resolutions

Now that the New Year has come and gone, it’s time to think about those resolutions you made.

You probably didn’t keep all of last year's, but now its time for new ones, especially ones dealing with your health.

First off, make a resolution to schedule a check up with your doctor, get all the necessary screening tests that are appropriate for your age, and the vaccinations that can keep you healthy. Remember, don’t just go to the doctor when you’re sick. Treat your body like your car and schedule a check up now.

Next, make a resolution to find out what foods can keep you healthy and make sure you have those around the house. Get rid of the ones that aren’t good for you. That bag of chips in the pantry can be too tempting to ignore.

And always remember to give yourself the gift of time - everyday. Just 15 minutes a day to relax and you’ll find yourself more refreshed all year long.

But also remember to stay as fit as possible. Set aside 30 minutes at least 3-4 times a week for some type of exercise. It doesn't matter as much what you do, just that you do something consistently.

But the hardest part will come around late February or March as our resolutions start to gather dust. Here’s when you’ll need to recommit to staying physically active and healthy. That’s something a good strong New Year’s resolution plan will help with.