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.