Tuesday, December 18, 2012

New Year's Resolutions

It's almost that time of year, time to make those New Year's resolutions.

Chances are you didn't keep most of them from last year, particularly the tough ones. But now it's time for new ones, especially ones dealing with your health.

First off, make a resolution to schedule a check up with your doctor. That way you can get all the necessary screening tests that are appropriate for your age, and the vaccinations that can keep you healthy. That will jump start the rest of your "get healthy" program. Remember, you don't just go to the doctor when you're sick. Treat your body like your car and schedule a regular 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 at times, so put fruit or veggies in its place.

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. And while you're at it, try to stand more at home and work. That will burn calories all day long.

But the hardest part will come around late February or March as our resolutions start to gather dust. Make a decision "now" to recommit "then" to staying physically active and healthy. That's something a good strong New Year's resolution plan will help with.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Bystander CPR

When it comes to saving lives, even a little bit goes a long way.

In this case doing something is better than doing nothing and even a little bit of help can save a life.

This is especially true when it comes to bystander CPR. If someone collapses in front of your from a cardiac arrest, just doing chest compressions alone can go a long way toward keeping them alive.

CPR in the past meant trying to coordinate pushing on the chest along with breaking for them through mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths. But over the years, researchers have found that when someone collapsed on the street, this type of CPR wasn't always done. Sometimes it was because people around the victim didn't know "proper" CPR techniques and other times they hesitated because of health concerns over doing mouth-to-mouth breathing. And sometimes it was done but wasn't always done correctly.

A new study has found that just pushing on the chest alone, even without the mouth-to-mouth breathing, can keep a person alive and keep their brain functioning well, especially if it's followed by the use of an easy to use AED device.

As a matter of fact, researchers found that just giving chest compressions alone kept more victims alive than traditional CPR. Since 2008 the American Heart Association has recommended chest compressions by themselves as the initial step for most of us and this study backs that up. So if someone collapses in front of you, experts now recommend to just start pushing hard and fast on their chest. That'll give them the best chance of staying alive.

Holiday Blues

The holidays are a wonderful time, but for some they can also be a tough time.

It's called the holiday blues because for some, they can get sad and depressed this time of the year. But there are ways to avoid it.

Here's the main problem: it looks like everyone else is enjoying the holiday season, but you just feel lonely and depressed. You might have family or job issues or you can't afford that special gift a loved one wants. These holiday blues for some can be intense and unsettling. But the good news is they are usually very short lived and they tend to go away after the holiday rush is over and daily routines are resumed.

These holiday blues are a normal response to a very stressful time of year. Everyone gets a little frazzled right about now, but those with the holiday flues experience more intense symptoms ranging from headaches, to sleep problems and maybe even full blown depression.

Some things can help you avoid this. Keep your expectations of yourself and others realistic. Not everyone's home is going to look like a magazine house and remember that you don't have to buy that expensive gift someone wants. Share your time by volunteering this time of year. That'll help you put things into perspective. Let go of past issues, spend time with people you care about, and try to make new friends. Also, look for activities like caroling or just singing along when you hear your favorite holiday songs, these are usually the ones that remind us of our carefree childhood days. Of course, getting plenty of rest and exercise during this stressful season can also help you feel your best.

Cold Or Allergy?

Is that a cold your coming down with or could you be allergic to something in your house?

Right now, if you get a runny nose, itchy eyes and cough you'll probably chalk it up to the cold. After all, it's that time of year. But it's also the time of year we pull out dusty decorations or place out decorative scented candles to make our houses more festive. Those could be causing allergies, something we don't think too much about this time of the year.

Although it's sometimes tough to figure out if it's a cold or allergies there are a few things to look for. If you have a low-grade fever and body aches, it's probably a cold. If, on the other hand, you have a runny nose, sneezing and mild cough, you are probably dealing with allergies, especially if the nose is running clear. And since the dust from stored away displays can trigger allergies, dusting them off outside or washing the ones you can will help. If you're sensitive to smells, having scented decorations can also trigger allergy symptoms, so switching to non-scented displays might be what's needed.

The key is to still have a festive and merry house, just one that won't have you sniffling and sneezing the whole holiday season.