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.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
How About Getting A Pedometer?
Do you want to exercise more, but just can't find the time? Then how about getting a pedometer?
It's a simple device that just does one simple thing... measures how many steps you take during the day. But that simple device can also get you taking more steps every day. And that means burning more calories along the way.
These devices have been around for years and have been used time and time again in different exercise type programs. They are usually used to help measure just how much work a person is doing during the day by just walking around. Most experts recommend we try and get 10,000 steps per day to help stay fit. But with all the sitting we do at work and home, most of us get much less than that. The average one of us only takes a little more than 5,000 steps per day and that puts us in the sedentary category. But now it looks like just having a pedometer will get you to walk more. Pedometer wearers in a recent study ended up walking 2,000 more steps per day just by wearing a pedometer. They also increased their overall activity.
All that extra walking means extra calories burned each day. And that means extra pounds lost, just by strapping on that little step measuring device... the pedometer.
It's a simple device that just does one simple thing... measures how many steps you take during the day. But that simple device can also get you taking more steps every day. And that means burning more calories along the way.
These devices have been around for years and have been used time and time again in different exercise type programs. They are usually used to help measure just how much work a person is doing during the day by just walking around. Most experts recommend we try and get 10,000 steps per day to help stay fit. But with all the sitting we do at work and home, most of us get much less than that. The average one of us only takes a little more than 5,000 steps per day and that puts us in the sedentary category. But now it looks like just having a pedometer will get you to walk more. Pedometer wearers in a recent study ended up walking 2,000 more steps per day just by wearing a pedometer. They also increased their overall activity.
All that extra walking means extra calories burned each day. And that means extra pounds lost, just by strapping on that little step measuring device... the pedometer.
Sugar Water Gargle
Are you lacking in self control, especially this time of the year. Maybe your best bet is to gargle with some sugar water.
As surprising as this sounds, gargling with sugar water boosts self control, something most of us can use more of heading into the holidays with all those tempting treats.
These next few weeks are going to be big tests for everyone's self control. With all the office parties and big dinners, it'll be though to avoid overeating. But if you have trouble with self control this time of the year, or any other time for that matter, this new study might be just what you need.
Researchers found that when people simply gargled with sugar sweetened water they ended up having more self control on tests they had to perform. But the same didn't happen when they gargled with the artificial sweetener Splenda. Scientists think the self control comes about because the sugar hits taste buds on the tongue which activate a motivation center in the brain.
Participants gargled for three to five minutes to get that boost in self control. And the researchers involved in the study think this same trick might work if you're trying to lose weight and can't resist that extra dessert or if you're working out and want to do just a bit more lifting.
Either way, gargling with sugar water before hitting a party might help you avoid too much of those dishes you want to avoid.
As surprising as this sounds, gargling with sugar water boosts self control, something most of us can use more of heading into the holidays with all those tempting treats.
These next few weeks are going to be big tests for everyone's self control. With all the office parties and big dinners, it'll be though to avoid overeating. But if you have trouble with self control this time of the year, or any other time for that matter, this new study might be just what you need.
Researchers found that when people simply gargled with sugar sweetened water they ended up having more self control on tests they had to perform. But the same didn't happen when they gargled with the artificial sweetener Splenda. Scientists think the self control comes about because the sugar hits taste buds on the tongue which activate a motivation center in the brain.
Participants gargled for three to five minutes to get that boost in self control. And the researchers involved in the study think this same trick might work if you're trying to lose weight and can't resist that extra dessert or if you're working out and want to do just a bit more lifting.
Either way, gargling with sugar water before hitting a party might help you avoid too much of those dishes you want to avoid.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Cheerleading As A Sport
A doctor's group wants to label cheerleading as a sport, but probably not for reasons you'd think.
The doctors want it to be called a sport so it gets some of the same benefits of other school sports, mostly in the name of safety.
Cheerleading has changed over the years. Today's teams not only compete, but also incorporate gymnastic type tumbling and acrobatics. And because of that, cheerleaders also end up suffering more injuries than other sports. As a matter of fact, cheerleading injuries have quadrupled since 1980 alone. It also accounts for the vast majority of high school female athlete concussions and catastrophic injuries.
Because of that, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its first cheerleading safety guidelines. Included are recommendations to designate cheerleading as a sport so cheerleaders will get the same benefits as other sports, which pediatric experts hope will help cut down on overall injuries. Using these guidelines, they are recommending cheerleaders be required to pass preseason sports physicals and to have access to strength training and conditioning coaches. And because of the potential for concussions, they want to make sure that, like other sports, cheerleaders are removed from activities if they have a head injury.
Other groups, namely the National Federation of High Schools and the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors have enacted similar rules already, but this pediatric group is hoping their guidelines continue to be a wakeup call for this "sport" so it can still be enjoyable, but also as safe as possible.
The doctors want it to be called a sport so it gets some of the same benefits of other school sports, mostly in the name of safety.
Cheerleading has changed over the years. Today's teams not only compete, but also incorporate gymnastic type tumbling and acrobatics. And because of that, cheerleaders also end up suffering more injuries than other sports. As a matter of fact, cheerleading injuries have quadrupled since 1980 alone. It also accounts for the vast majority of high school female athlete concussions and catastrophic injuries.
Because of that, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its first cheerleading safety guidelines. Included are recommendations to designate cheerleading as a sport so cheerleaders will get the same benefits as other sports, which pediatric experts hope will help cut down on overall injuries. Using these guidelines, they are recommending cheerleaders be required to pass preseason sports physicals and to have access to strength training and conditioning coaches. And because of the potential for concussions, they want to make sure that, like other sports, cheerleaders are removed from activities if they have a head injury.
Other groups, namely the National Federation of High Schools and the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors have enacted similar rules already, but this pediatric group is hoping their guidelines continue to be a wakeup call for this "sport" so it can still be enjoyable, but also as safe as possible.
Eye Drop & Nasal Spray Warning
There is a new warning out about something many of us have in our medicine cabinet that could be more harmful than most of us think.
We're talking about simple eye drops or nasal sprays that most of us have in our houses and probably don't give a second thought about. But the FDA is warning that they could prove toxic to children who accidentally get a hold of them.
The products they are warning us about contain the active ingredients Tetryhydrozoline, Oxymetazonline or Naphazoline. All these ingredients end in chemical compound word Zoline. They are sold under a variety of brand names like Visine, Dristan and Mucinex as well as the generic equivalents.
According to the FDA, a child swallowing as little as 1/5 of a teaspoon can have serious adverse effects. Thankfully no child has died from an overdose yet, but over the last few years children have been hospitalized after swallowing small amounts of these medicines. Problems have ranged from nausea and vomiting, to fast heart rates, excess sleepiness and even comas.
These medicines can be very helpful if used correctly. And that means storing them in a safe place out of the reach of children, especially since the vast majority of their bottles don't have childproof tops, something the government is trying to mandate.
We're talking about simple eye drops or nasal sprays that most of us have in our houses and probably don't give a second thought about. But the FDA is warning that they could prove toxic to children who accidentally get a hold of them.
The products they are warning us about contain the active ingredients Tetryhydrozoline, Oxymetazonline or Naphazoline. All these ingredients end in chemical compound word Zoline. They are sold under a variety of brand names like Visine, Dristan and Mucinex as well as the generic equivalents.
According to the FDA, a child swallowing as little as 1/5 of a teaspoon can have serious adverse effects. Thankfully no child has died from an overdose yet, but over the last few years children have been hospitalized after swallowing small amounts of these medicines. Problems have ranged from nausea and vomiting, to fast heart rates, excess sleepiness and even comas.
These medicines can be very helpful if used correctly. And that means storing them in a safe place out of the reach of children, especially since the vast majority of their bottles don't have childproof tops, something the government is trying to mandate.
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