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Healthy Aging for Women: 5 Science Backed Tips that Really Work
What’s the secret to healthy aging for women? A healthy diet, regular exercise & proper use of medications. Does it end here? No. Learn more.
Did you know women live seven years more than men do? However, does this mean they are healthier? Sadly, NO. According to one study, women spend approximately twice as many years disabled prior to death as their male counterparts.
Aging is natural; at least that’s what we know until now. While no one has yet found the fountain of youth, taking care of what you eat, what you think, and what you do go a long way in helping delay the aging process.
That said, healthy aging for women means more than just eating right and exercising more frequently. This is because women have a different physiology compared to men. Most notably, they undergo different phases during the course of life that are exclusive to them only, such as menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation.
Moreover, hormonal fluctuations also make women more prone to certain diseases. Luckily, a few simple lifestyle tweaks can considerably cut the risk.
In this article, you will learn proven ways to promote healthy aging for women. Also, you will know the benefits of these ways, according to science.
With These Tips, Aging for Women Should be A Smoother Transition
1. Eat healthy foods
Almost every aspect of health comes down to two fundamental factors - your genes and the diet. After all, you are what you eat. Most notably, you cannot do much about your genes but you can certainly change your diet to be healthier and happier.
What you eat is even more important to aging women. In fact, the foods you ate in the middle of your life, and the ones you eat now have a profound impact on your health. A 2014 study found that taking generous amounts of flavonoids at midlife is tied to better health and enhanced well-being during older ages.
For healthy in women, the Office on Women’s Health recommends:
Increasing the intake of leaner proteins (lean beef, chicken, and fish), whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Limiting sugars and high-fat foods.
Drinking lots of water.
In addition, you may also want to consider taking certain supplements that have proven benefits, such as vitamin D. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) shows that most Americans do not take enough vitamin D from their diet.
Because women are naturally susceptible to bone health problems, most notably, brittle bones (osteoporosis) during older ages, they should talk to their doctor about the benefits of vitamin D supplementation.
Also Read: Foods to Eat with High Vitamin D
2. Stay active
It goes without saying that any type of exercise has anti-aging effects. Other benefits of exercise include - healthy weight, reduced risk of certain cancers and brittle bones, and enhanced general well-being.
Make sure to exercise for at least 150 minutes every week. Find an activity you enjoy and stick to the routine. Exercise does not have to be hard or boring. You can go for a walk, practice yoga, or lift weights, whichever suits your condition and routine.
Further Reading: Preventing Osteoporosis Through Exercise
3. Use prescription medicine properly
When a doctor prescribes a medicine for you, it means they have assessed your individual needs and selected a medicine that best meets your unique needs. That said, if you do not follow the doctor’s instructions, the medicine may not work properly or even become harmful.
Therefore, it is critically important to listen to your doctor and pharmacist. You can also find useful information about your medicine from reliable sources like www.findatopdoc.com.
Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
4. Lose weight
Did you know 40 percent of American women are obese? For women, obesity can cause certain health problems that are not seen in men. These include - irregular periods or late onset of menopause, and Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Not to forget that being obese or overweight also increases the risk of heart disease, certain types of cancer, and diabetes.
Do you still need more reasons to shed some pounds? Start now to keep your weight in the healthy range. Watch your diet, limit unnecessary calories, take more fiber, and stay as active as you can.
Talk to your doctor if these measures do not work for you.
5. Listen to your body
The rush of life might keep you from listening to your body. This can have devastating effects on your health. For example, if you miss your wellness visit and later come to know that cells in your breasts have started to grow uncontrollably.
Well, things may not as bad as this. However, you should schedule a wellness visit even if you feel everything is fine with your health. You never know when things change!
Want To Know More?
To know more about healthy aging tips for women, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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2018: Health Care Crisis, Know these 5 Challenges
The Challenges of the 2018 Health Care Crisis: Are You Ready to Cope with Them?We are almost at the end of the first half of 2018 and the health care crisis only seems to worsen. Peace is nowhere in sight as the challenges seem unfathomable, at least when we do not take action now.
A 2017 article in the International Journal of Health Services noted that 28 million people were still out of Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage, which was implemented in 2014.
With President Trump’s initiation to repeal the ACA and replace it with the so-called association health care plans and short-term health insurance, there is a long way to go before healthcare reform becomes satisfactory.
Even worse, the uninsured rate has not improved much in the last few years and Trump’s cheaper, less-regulated health insurance plans may very well have hidden costs beyond what one would expect.
In this article, we take a closer look at the challenges of the current health care crisis and their effects on public health.
The Challenges of the 2018 Health Care Crisis: Are You Ready to Cope with Them?
1. Opioid crisis
Opioids, medications that reduce moderate to severe pain, have now become the pain of the nation. Reports suggest as many as 2 million Americans have already become enslaved to pain medications that are notorious for their high abuse and addiction potential.
Unfortunately, despite being declared a national emergency, the current opioid crisis has received virtually no funding from the government.
An increasing opioid crisis rate means shorter life span and greater health expenses. According to a recent article in the National Public Radio, the cost of the US opioid epidemic since 2001 has already reached $1 trillion and there are no signs of it slowing down.
2. Net neutrality repeal
Another major blow to health care reform initiations came in January 2018 when the Federal Communications Commission decided to put an end to net neutrality. With this, EHRs and Telemedicine that usually require high-speed internet will have to pay an extra amount to the internet service providers (ISPs) to function optimally.
Eventually, this will cause a sharp rise in cost. Moreover, an increasing control of ISPs over internet speed and content could mean a hard time for the health care industry.
Telehealth expert Nick Adkins believes that net neutrality repeal “absolutely impacts telemedicine, and this dials back the whole forward momentum of digital health and innovation.”
3. Mobile health tech
When we think of mobile health tech or simply mHealth, the first question that strikes everyone’s mind is the safety of the patient data. The rising incidence of health data breaches has surely raised a question about data safety.
At a time when everything from your location to sensitive health information is stored in the cloud storage connected to your mobile device, cyberattacks seem inevitable. After all, hackers can attack any link in the internet-connected world.
Most notably, patients seem to be the weakest link in the chain followed by the follower who often pays little attention to security issues.
Also Read: Healthcare Data Breaches: Are Hackers the Only Reason?
4. Big data
Big data refers to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of a large volume of data that can help in strategy planning and decision-making.
Though big data are all the rage in almost every sector, healthcare seems to be lagging behind. Among many causes, the lack of proper technology and work force to handle the huge amounts of data severely limits the usefulness of big data in healthcare industry.
In addition, health data are often unstructured and lack authoritative sources. To add more woes, providers refrain from sharing data.
Lastly, one of the biggest hurdles for medical big data to flourish is the lack of practical benefits of big data analytics.
5. EHR interoperability
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) defines EHR interoperability as,
“The extent to which systems and devices can exchange data, and interpret that shared data. For two systems to be interoperable, they must be able to exchange data and subsequently present that data such that it can be understood by a user.”
Simply, put EHR interoperability allows two or more systems or devices to exchange the data in a way that makes sense to the user. Well, it is not as simple as that.
A Black Book Research that surveyed 11,838 doctors, healthcare administrators, technology managers and clinical leaders around the world found that approximately ninety percent of the respondents have no idea who an ideal EHR interoperability would be like.
Well, this is not the end to the growing EHR issues; security and clinician burnout will also cause significant problems in 2018.
Want To Know More?
To know more about the 2018 Health Care Crisis, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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Urgent Care Vs Emergency: 3 Key Differences You Need to Know
Knowing these essential differences will help you make better decisions about the service to take.
Can you tell the differences between urgent care and emergency care? It can happen to any one of us. In fact, very few people can actually pinpoint the differences between these two apparently similar health services.
That said, it’s a good idea to learn the differences as it will help choose the appropriate service when you have to make an immediate decision.
1. Urgent Care and Emergency Care Serve Different Purposes
Urgent care is intended to provide appropriate services when the condition is not life threatening but still requires medical attention. Simply put, the condition is not serious enough to warrant an immediate care considering the condition is unlikely to cause a disability or death.
On the other hand, emergency care should be used when the condition is potentially life threatening and failure to address the problem immediately is very likely to cause long-term complications or even death.
2. Urgent Care and Emergency Care Have Different Time Availability
It’s no new that emergency care should be made available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. After all, we all know that death and illness can strike anytime. However, most urgent care facilities open later in the day and typically close in the evening.
3. Urgent Care is Typically Far Less Costlier than Emergency Care
When we use a service or product, the cost is a major concern. For this reason, it is important to know how much these care facilities charge in general.
Staying at an emergency room can cost anything from $1,233 to $2,168. On the other hand, an urgent care typically costs between $50 and $150. However, this depends on insurance coverage and the treatment you get.
Not to forget that emergency should be made available independent of a patient’s ability to pay, according to the Federal Law. Interestingly, a whopping $18 billion is lost due to unnecessary ER visits.
Conditions that Require Urgent Care
Common health conditions that require urgent care include:
Sprains and Strains
Earaches
Sore throats
Fever
Digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting
Respiratory infections
Sinus infection, sore throat or ear infection
Minor injuries, including small cuts and burns
Non-life-threatening allergic reactions
Minor rash or skin infection
Bug bites, minor animal or human bites
Urinary tract infection
Conditions that Require Emergency Care
Loss of consciousness
Sudden, severe pain and/or chest discomfort or breathing problems that could indicate a heart attack or stroke
Heavy or continuous bleeding
Severe shortness of breath
Coughing up or vomiting blood
Head injury with or without loss of consciousness
Any major injury
Severe burns
Sudden or unexpected paralysis
Poisoning, suspected poisoning or drug overdose
Accidents, including falls and car crashes or gunshot injuries
Suicidal or homicidal thoughts
A very rapid pulse unrelated to exercise or emotional stress
Tips to Avoid ER Visits When You Do Not Need Them
Did you know 1 in 4 of the calls to 911 is not a real emergency? Even worse, almost 30% of the calls from urban areas are for a medical ambulance even when the condition does not require any emergency care.
Most importantly, learn to differentiate between conditions that require emergency care and that do not. For example, true medical emergencies like stroke and heart attack have typical signs and symptoms. Thus, learning them will help differentiate it from less serious symptoms that don’t require emergency care.
If you or anyone you love has a chronic health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, regular check-ups at an urgent care facility is a great way to prevent complications that might otherwise require emergency care.
Don’t Visit the ER When You Have:
Earache.
Minor cuts where bleeding is controlled.
A minor dog or animal bite where bleeding is controlled (however, see your doctor to know if you need a rabies shot).
A sprain.
A sunburn or minor burn from cooking.
An insect sting or delayed swelling from a sting (visit ER only if you have severe breathing difficulty that could be due to a life-threatening allergy called anaphylaxis).
A skin rash.
Fever (if there is convulsion, go to the ER).
Sexually-transmitted diseases.
Colds and cough, sore throat, flu.
Any long-term condition that is well under control, such as diabetes, hypertension, joint pain etc.
The Bottom Line
The need to visit an urgent care facility or an emergency room depends on the type and seriousness of the condition or illness. Naturally, a person is worried when something wrong happens to them. The worry knows no bounds when it involves their children.
However, even during such stressful situations, it is important not to lose your mind and take a rational decision. Doing so will save you and your loved ones from unnecessary treatments and financial burden. Moreover, such practice also ensures you do not use up resources that should be available to those who really need them.
Want to Know More?
To know more about the differences between urgent care and emergency care, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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Blood Types: Why Do You Need to Know?
Determining blood types is necessary to prevent dangerous incompatibilities during a surgery or transfusion.
Based on the types of the antigens present on the cell surface, blood types are categorized into:
Type A - It has the A antigen.
Type B - It has the B antigen.
Type AB - It has both A and B antigens.
Type O - It has neither A nor B antigens.
In addition, blood types are further divided into:
Rh positive - The Rh positive blood has Rh antigen on the surface of the red blood cells.
Rh negative - The Rh negative blood does not have Rh antigens.
Therefore, in total, there are 8 blood types. These include:
A-positive
A-negative
B-positive
B-negative
AB-positive
AB-negative
O-positive
O-negative
An antigen is a substance the body recognizes as a foreign particle and thus directs the immune cells to attack against it whenever the substance enters the body.
A Quick Overview of Blood and Its Functions
Blood is a connective tissue that carries nutrients and oxygen to the cells in the body. Moreover, it also carries waste products away from the cells. Specific blood cells called white blood cells are an essential part of the immune system.
The blood is made of a straw-colored liquid called plasma, and different types of cells. The cells in the blood include - red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the cells while platelets help the blood clot during an injury.
Why You Need Blood Typing
When a person needs blood from another person (blood transfusion), first, it is necessary to determine the blood types of both the donor and receiver. Only compatible blood types can be used.
In general, blood transfusion is the transfer of blood from one person (donor) to another person (receiver). It is done when the receiver loses large quantities of blood during a surgery or through heavy bleeding. In addition, the doctor may ask for a transfusion to provide extra blood for an anemic person. People with a blood disease, thalassemia, or sickle cell anemia may also need a transfusion.
Other conditions that require a transfusion are cancer treatment including chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.
There are two ways to conduct a transfusion.
Autologous transfusion - In this type, a patient’s own blood is used to replace the lost blood, its cells or plasma. It is also called cell salvage.
Donor blood transfusion - In this type, the compatible blood from another person (donor) is used to replace the lost blood, its cells or plasma.
If you fail to find a donor with compatible blood, you may contact a nearby blood bank. A blood bank collects, tests, and stores blood and its products for use by those in need. They collect blood from different donation programs and screen them for diseases like HIV, Hepatitis, and others. Only the blood that is free from pathogens can be used in a receiver.
How Blood Types Work in a Transfusion
O: Because Type O blood does not contain any antigens, people with this blood type can donate blood to another person irrespective of the type of the blood in the receiver. However, Type O individuals can only receive blood from other type O individuals.
A: People with Type A blood can donate to other type A individuals and type AB individuals. However, they can receive blood only from other type A individuals and type O individuals.
B: People with Type B blood can donate blood to other B individuals and AB individuals. However, they can receive blood only from type B individuals and type O individuals.
AB: People with Type AB blood can give blood only to other AB individuals. However, they can receive blood of any type.
Rh-positive: Rh-positive individuals can receive Rh-positive or Rh-negative blood.
Rh-negative: Rh-negative individuals can receive only Rh- negative blood.
The Role of Blood Types in Pregnancy
While blood typing is essential during transfusion, it is even more important for pregnant women. An Rh-negative mother and Rh-positive mother will most probably have an Rh-positive child.
In such case, a drug called RhoGAM is administered to the mother. The drug will prevent the formation of antibodies that might attack the baby’s blood cells if their blood becomes mixed. This condition is known as erythroblastosis fetalis.
Blood Types by Percentage: What are the Most Common and the Rarest Types
In the US, most people have O-positive blood followed by A-positive. The following gives an approximate distribution of blood types in the U.S. population.
O-positive: 38 percent
O-negative: 7 percent
A-positive: 34 percent
A-negative: 6 percent
B-positive: 9 percent
B-negative: 2 percent
AB-positive: 3 percent
AB-negative: 1 percent
Blood types can vary according to race and ethnicity. For example, the American Red Crossreports that approximately 45 percent of Caucasians are type O, but 51 percent of African-Americans and 57 percent of Hispanics are type O.
Want to Know More?
To know more about blood types, blood diseases, and their treatments, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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Heat Related Illness - Don’t Miss These Warning Signs & Symptoms
Heat related illness can be potentially life-threatening when you fail to get emergency medical attention. Read more here.
Heat related illness can result from either short-term exposure to intense heat or prolonged exposure to moderate heat. In any case, failing to get an immediate care especially when the symptoms are severe can potentially lead to death.
According to one study, during summer, heat-related illness affects 20 out of 100,000 people every year in urban areas of the US. Moreover, it also causes at least 240 deaths annually.
In this article, you will learn the definition, symptoms, warning signs, diagnosis, and treatment of a heat related illness. In addition, you will also get an insight of how you can prevent possible complications.
What is a Heat Related Illness?
The term heat related illness or sometimes hyperthermia can refer to a number of conditions that result due to heat exposure. Generally, it includes - heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramp, and heat rash. Among these, heat stroke is the most serious while heat rash is not as serious as other types.
Because the body requires optimal core temperature to run physiological processes, any significant change in the core temperature can have devastating effects on your health. In an otherwise healthy person, the body operates its own cooling mechanism to make up for slight changes in the body temperature.
However, when the increase in core body temperature is so high that your body’s cooling mechanism cannot function normally, you will start experiencing a wide range of symptoms, such as excessive sweating, headache, mental confusion, and others.
One thing to remember is that it’s not just the temperature that causes a heat related illness, but also the humidity. Highly humid air does not allow sweat to evaporate easily. As a result, the body fails to lose that excess heat through sweating.
Heat related illness can occur due to environmental or occupational exposure to high temperatures.
Symptoms of a Heat Related Illness
The signs and symptoms of a heat related illness can vary widely depending on the length and degree of exposure. For example, they can range from red bumps on the skin to convulsions.
The following section explains symptoms that are specific to the type of the heat related illness.
Warning Signs of Heat Stroke
Among heat related illnesses, heat strokes are the most serious. In fact, it is a medical emergency. Call 911 if you have any of the following symptoms or witness them in a loved one:
Confusion
Fainting
Seizures
Excessive sweating or red, hot, dry skin
Very high body temperature
Before help arrives, do the following to reduce the risk of complications.
Transfer the affected person to a shady, cool area.
Remove outer clothing
Turn on a fan to help the person cool down
Place cold packs in armpits
Apply ice packs
If the person is conscious and able to drink, give them plain water first, and then electrolytes
Accompany them until help arrives
Heat Exhaustion
Cool, moist skin
Heavy sweating
Headache
Nausea or vomiting
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Weakness
Thirst
Irritability
Fast heartbeat
Heat Cramps
Muscle spasms
Pain, usually in abdomen, arms, or legs
Heat Rash
Clusters of red bumps on skin
Often appears on neck, upper chest, folds of skin
Diagnosis and Treatment
The diagnosis relies largely on clinical examination and measurement of body temperature.
In general, treating a heat related illness other than heat stroke does not require specialized care. You can treat it yourself by conventional measures such as - taking more fluids, moving away from the hot environment, stopping activity, etc.
Talk to your doctor if the symptoms do not go away after an hour.
If the temperature is higher than 104 F, your doctor can perform rapid, aggressive cooling by any of the following methods.
Body immersion in iced water
Evaporative cooling water spray and fans
Immersing the hands and forearms in cold water
Using ice or cold packs in the neck, groin, and axillae
Iced gastric, bladder, or peritoneal lavage
Chemically assisted cooling
Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that heat related illnesses are preventable. The preventive measures typically have one or more of the following approaches - removing the risk factor and reducing the risk factor.
Experts and doctors all over the world unanimously approve education as the first step of prevention. The public, athletes, and trainers should be aware of the effects of intense exposure to hot temperatures be it during the work or a training.
Other measures to prevent heat related illness include:
Keeping yourself well hydrated during vigorous activities that cause excessive sweating. Make sure to take plenty of water and other fluids especially when the environment very hot and humid. However, avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks as they can promote loss of water from the body.
Wearing protective clothing and accessories like hats, gloves, and sunglasses. To prevent skin damage from the harmful UV rays, you can use a sunscreen product of appropriate SPF.
Acclimatizing to the hot environment. This includes a gradual increase in the time spent outdoors so that the body will slowly become accustomed to the high temperatures.
Staying indoors as much as possible especially when the temperatures very high.
Listening to your body. Only you can tell how it feels to go out in the sun. If doing so makes you abnormally tired, you may want to cut down the time spent outdoors. In addition, those who have any known medical condition should consult their doctor if they are planning to go out in the sun for prolonged periods.
Want to Know More?
To know more about heat related illness, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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Breast Health in Women: 3 Common Problems and What to Do
Breast health should be a major concern for every woman irrespective of age, ethnicity, and size or shape of the breasts.
Did you know one in eight women in the US develops breast cancer and nearly 50 percent have lumps in their breasts?
Breasts are a sign of femininity and life. They give the women a sense of beauty and produce life-sustaining milk for the baby. A number of modifiable and non-modifiable factors can negatively affect breast health. These include - increasing age, obesity, drinking, smoking, and lack of physical activity.
This article takes a closer look at common breast health problems, breast cancer, and warning signs. Also, it will promote breast health and disease prevention.
These Breast Health Problems: Far More Common than You Think
1. Breast Cancer
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 237,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and about 41,000 women die each year from breast cancer. In fact, it is one of the leading causes of death in women aged 50 years or above.
The risk is higher in women during late adulthood. Likewise, obesity, family history, heavy alcohol consumption, and use of contraceptive pills can increase the risk.
Watch for the following 7 warning signs of breast cancer and seek immediate medical help if you find any.
Abnormal discharge from the breast, often containing blood
Pain in the breast or nipple
A lump in the breast or armpit
Swollen lymph nodes in the breast or armpit
Any abnormal change in the size or shape of the beast or nipple
Dimpled breast that looks similar to orange peel
Inverted nipple
2. Breast Lumps
Breast lumps are a common problem in young women. In fact, these lumps are present in at least 50 percent of women. They occur due to fibrocystic changes in the breast tissues and do not always indicate a serious condition like cancer. Most of the noncancerous tumors or lumps tend to go away after menopause.
That said, some of them may be precancerous or even cancerous. While you will not be able to distinguish whether the lump is cancerous on your own, you should always check if the lumps have changed recently. If you find anything abnormal with their shape, size or color, talk to your doctor immediately.
3. Breast Pain
Have you ever realized the breasts become more sensitive or change in size during the menstrual cycle? Usually, these changes are normal as the breast tissues respond to fluctuating hormone levels during a period.
Many factors can cause pain in one or both the breasts. These include - infection, trauma, cancerous or non-cancerous growths, use of birth control pills, and your diet.
Breast pain, unless otherwise confirmed by diagnosis, is normal and unlikely to cause any long-term problem. In fact, pain tends to subside within a few days even without any treatment.
Certain infections can occur in the breast tissue and cause small cyst-like abscesses. These will usually go away with a course of antibiotics.
Cancer rarely causes breast pain. Typically, other symptoms of breast cancer such as lumps and skin changes are more relevant sings of cancer than pain.
Tips to Promote Breast Health & Reduce Breast Cancer Risk
Maintain a healthy weight
As mentioned earlier in the article, obesity is a preventable risk for breast cancer.
Obese women may have higher levels of estrogen, which can promote the growth of estrogen-sensitive breast tissues. Moreover, breast cancer survivors have a greater risk of a relapse compared to women with a healthy weight.
2. Exercise daily or most days of a week
Exercise not only tones your breasts but also slashes the risk of breast cancer by as much as 25 percent. Regular exercise boosts immunity, prevents obesity, and lowers the blood levels of estrogen and insulin.
3. Watch your diet
Feast on fruits and vegetable, and eat fewer servings of processed and refined foods. In addition to reducing the risk of cancer, good nutrition is key to your overall health.
4. Drink in moderation if you have to
Drinking has been closely linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in women. Even worse, breast cancer survivors who have three or more drinks per week are more likely to have a relapse.
5. Do not forget the sunshine vitamin
Various studies have found that low vitamin D levels could increase breast cancer risk. Moreover, vitamin D is also essential for healthy bones especially in postmenopausal women who have a greater risk both osteoporosis and breast cancer.
Make sure to get most of your vitamin D from sunshine and healthy foods such as fatty fish, egg yolk, cheese, dairy products, and fortified foods. If you are thinking about taking a supplement, consult your doctor first.
Want to Know More?
To know more about breast health, professional help with breast problems and healthy lifestyle tips, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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The two types of glycemia are:What is Hyperglycemia? Know the Basics Take action now. Learn these warning signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia and effective ways to deal with them.
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Currently, there is news of the NHS going through one of the worst phases in the recent times. Just three months ago, news regarding US President Trump’s criticism of the NHS was published in the New York Times.
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Is It Hyperglycemia? Learning the Warning Signs and What You Can Do
The two types of glycemia are:What is Hyperglycemia? Know the Basics Take action now. Learn these warning signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia and effective ways to deal with them.
Hyperglycemia or simply high blood sugar is a common problem in both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. While a temporary increase in blood sugar may not cause any significant health problem, long-term elevation surely does many damages to your brain, kidneys, and arteries.
In this article, you will learn the signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia and measures to prevent and control them.
What is Hyperglycemia? Know the Basics
Hyperglycemia is a medical term that refers to a condition when you have too much sugar in your bloodstream.
The blood sugar level is a reliable indicator of disease status in diabetic patients. In fact, the blood sugar level fluctuates throughout the day and night. That said, diabetics tend to have abnormally high levels compared to healthy people at any time of the day.
The two types of glycemia are:
1. Fasting hyperglycemia.
This occurs when blood sugar is higher than 130 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) after an 8-hour period of not eating or drinking.
2. Postprandial or after-meal hyperglycemia.
This occurs when blood sugar is higher than 180 mg/dL 2 hours after your meal. Keep in mind that non-diabetics rarely have blood sugar levels over 140 mg/dL after a meal, provided they have not eaten a really large meal.
How to Recognize Hyperglycemia: What are the Symptoms?
Unfortunately, hyperglycemia can go unnoticed until a major problem surfaces. Moreover, the early symptoms may not seem serious for many people.
The common symptoms that you might have if sugar has just started to build up in the blood include:
Dry mouth
Increased thirst
Frequent bathroom visits
Urination during the night
Blurry vision
Dry, itchy skin
Fatigue or drowsiness
Weight loss
Increased appetite
In contrast, when hyperglycemia persists for longer durations, you can have one or more of the following symptoms.
Labored breathing
Dizziness upon standing
Unexplained and rapid weight loss
Increased drowsiness
Mental confusion
Loss of consciousness or coma
Ongoing hyperglycemia, when left untreated, may have other non-specific and apparently unrelated symptoms. These include:
Vaginal and skin infections
Delayed wound healing
Worsening vision problems
Nerve damage that can cause altered sensations in feet
Chronic constipation or diarrhea
Damage to your eyes, blood vessels, or kidneys
When to Seek Medical Attention
Talk to your doctor right away if you experience:
Severe vomiting
Confusion
Sleepiness
Shortness of breath
Dehydration
Blood sugar levels that are persistently above 160 mg/dL (for longer than a week)
Glucose levels higher than 300 mg/dL
Ketones in the urine
Note that diabetic ketoacidosis or diabetic coma is considered a medical emergency. Call 911 for emergency help.
Causes and Risk Factors of Hyperglycemia
If you are a diabetic, the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, a hormone that transports sugar molecules from the blood to the cells.
In some cases, the cells may become inefficient to use the available insulin. In any case, the blood sugar rises especially if you take sugary foods, stay inactive, and do not take the prescribed medications for diabetes.
In an otherwise healthy person, the extra sugar is stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. However, in diabetics, due to insufficient insulin or increased insulin resistance, the sugar molecules cannot go to the cells and accumulate in the bloodstream.
The Risk Factors of Hyperglycemia
Failure to comply with prescribed medications such as oral hypoglycemic pills and insulin injection
Improper use of insulin injection
Use of expired insulin
Taking large quantities of foods that contain high amounts of simple sugars such as processed foods
Living a sedentary life devoid of any physical activity
An occurrence of an infectious disease
Use of medications that raise blood sugar such as steroids
A major injury or surgery
Severe emotional stress
When you have an injury or are going through a phase of severe emotional stress, the blood sugar can rise. This happens because of the stress hormones that help combat stress but also cause a release of sugar into the bloodstream. Generally, this tends to go away once the illness or source of stress is gone.
However, if you have diabetes, you might need to take medication extra medications to keep the blood sugar levels in control.
Tips to Avoid and Deal with Hyperglycemia
Avoiding hyperglycemia is critically important to prevent diabetes-related complications. Here are some tips to consider.
Eat the right foods at right times. What you eat and when you eat determine if you will have safe blood sugar levels when taking insulin or a diabetes pill. Talk to your doctor or a nutritionist to plan a diabetes meal that is relevant to your individual condition.
Regularly check your blood sugar. A blood sugar report gives you an overview of diabetes status and the risk of complications. For best results, experts recommend weekly or daily blood sugar checks. In addition, make sure to record the findings so that they will help the doctor determine further treatment changes.
Follow your doctor’s instructions about the use of medications. Take medications only as directed.
Stay active. However, you should always consult your doctor if you are planning to follow any specific exercise regimen. Remember, this is very important.
Consult your doctor right away if your blood glucose is greater than 150 mg/dl for more than 1 week or if you have 2 consecutive readings greater than 300 mg/dl.
Want To Know More?
To know more about hyperglycemia and tips to avoid it, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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It is important to find time for exercise on a daily basis, and for many this means squeezing in a workout early in the morning, or even late at night, just before bed. However, many people have difficulty sleeping if they exercise too late in the evening. If you are one of these, you might be reacting to the increased adrenalin and cortisol that result from strenuous activity, which can make it extremely difficult to fall asleep. In that case you should avoid intensely exercising within three hours of bedtime so you have adequate time to wind down. Research suggests that many people will sleep better if they exercise, even if that exercise is done in the evening, as late as an hour or two before bed. If your lifestyle is such that you can only exercise at night, you should find ways to improve your chances of sleeping well. Sleep and exercise are equally important for your health, so the trick is to develop a routine that optimizes both. Here are some tips.
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Is there any chance you are struggling to drift off to the land of nod? Well, yoga may be the answer for you. Studies show that more than 85% of people claim yoga helps to reduce stress. 55% of people say it helps them to get much better sleep. So, if you’ve been struggling to get your 8 hours of sleep recently, yoga may be the solution. Recent studies have proven that yoga can have a very positive effect on your sleeping pattern by easing your nervous system and helping you control your breathing. If you want to try it, here are some of the best poses that will help you relax your body and mind before hitting the sheets.
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4 Tips for Better Sleep after Exercise that Actually Work
Exercise is an effective non-pharmacological treatment option for sleep problems. At a time when one-third of the US adults are struggling to fall asleep or maintain sound sleep, exercise definitely seems like a savior. Several studies have found that a brief period of moderate-intensity exercise can enhance sleep and improve sleep quality in adults. However, it comes with a caveat. Reports suggest that people who indulge in high-intensity exercise at the end of the day might have sleep problems. In non-medical terms, it is called post-workout insomnia. Sleep and Exercise: What is the Link?Making a few subtle tweaks in your exercise routine and eating habits can ensure better sleep after exercise.
Are you having difficulty falling asleep an evening workout? Well, you are not alone. In fact, many people struggle with sleep problems after a heavy workout. Though the evidence on post-workout sleep problems is scarce, this problem is reportedly more common than we know.
Today, we know more about the link between sleep and exercise than before. Physical activity is a powerful stress buster and therefore promotes deep sleep. However, intense exercise close to bedtime can just do the opposite. In essence, exercise can be both a friend and foe depending on the intensity and timing of the workout.
This article looks at time-tested tips that ensure hitting the sack after the gym is problem-free.
Sleep and Exercise: What is the Link?
Exercise is an effective non-pharmacological treatment option for sleep problems. At a time when one-third of the US adults are struggling to fall asleep or maintain sound sleep, exercise definitely seems like a savior.
Several studies have found that a brief period of moderate-intensity exercise can enhance sleep and improve sleep quality in adults.
However, it comes with a caveat. Reports suggest that people who indulge in high-intensity exercise at the end of the day might have sleep problems. In non-medical terms, it is called post-workout insomnia.
What Happens in Your Body During Exercise?
When you exercise, the systems and physiological processes change dramatically, though for a brief period. The major changes that happen in your body when you exercise are:
The muscles use up stored glucose to fuel rising energy demands.
The lungs work faster and your breath becomes shorter and heavier.
Heart rate increases and the heart works even harder to supply blood and nutrients to the muscles and organs.
Your brain becomes more alert and releases feel-good brain chemicals such as dopamine and endorphins. (Exercise is addictive!)
The skin becomes reddish due to increased blood flow.
Your hormone levels surge.
How Does This Affect Your Sleep?
Because sleep occurs due to a complex interaction between the body’s biological clock and the levels of several hormones, scientists are yet to uncover a direct link between sleep problems and exercise. Moreover, what further complicates the situation is that most cases of post-workout insomnia are anecdotal.
Not to mention that the National Sleep Foundation's 2013 "Sleep in America" poll found that 83 percent of participants reported no sleep problems despite exercising at any time of day. In the poll, a mere three percent reported such problems.
However, experts believe that higher hormonal and energy levels and increased brain activity during an acute bout of a high-intensity exercise can disrupt the normal sleep cycle.
Want Better Sleep after Exercise? Follow these Tips
1. Watch the intensity of the exercise.
Make sure to exercise at moderate intensity if you are an evening person. Keep in mind that intensity is directly linked to sleep and a high-intensity exercise can cause your energy to rise so high that it becomes hard to fall asleep.
That said, a high-intensity workout could be an effective way to charge your batteries when you do it in the morning.
As far as the evening workout is concerned, go for low-intensity exercises like yoga, tai chi or a simple walk. Any of these exercises do not cause your heartbeats to race. Instead, they can relax you, increase circulation and help you drift off faster.
2. Do not rush to bed directly from the gym.
As mentioned earlier in the article, exercise activates your brain and causes a surge in the blood levels of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. In addition, the body temperature also increases during and after exercise.
For these reasons, it is important to let your muscles unwind, hormone level drop and body temperature to normalize before you go to sleep. Experts recommend exercising at least 3 hours before bedtime. It is during the same duration that your heart rate comes back to the resting state.
3. Drink lots of water.
When you exercise, your body loses a significant amount of water and salts in the form of sweat. While sweating is important to keep the body temperature under control, failing to replenish the lost water can cause dehydration.
Dehydration can affect sleep primarily in two ways. First, your brain has to work harder and keep itself alert to maintain the balance of water and salts in the body. It goes without saying that an alert brain gets little sleep.
Second, even if you manage to sleep dehydrated, thirst can cause midnight awakenings. Once you wake up, getting back to sleep is essentially a tough task.
3. Cool your bedroom.
Cooling the bedroom is an essential of sleep hygiene in addition to keeping it dark and quiet. When you go to the bedroom after working out, it is even more important.
As you slowly drift off to sleep, the body temperature gradually drops down. Thus, it makes perfect sense to cool the bedroom before sleep. While there is no evidence of what temperature is the best, most experts believe a drop of 5° to 10° should help most people fall asleep easily.
Want to Know More?
To know more about the tips for better sleep after exercise, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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Bedtime Yoga: 7 Yoga Poses for Sound Sleep
In this article, we look at yoga poses that could help enhance sleep quality and sleep duration. Sleep
Over the years, the popularity of yoga has increased dramatically, most notably due to its relaxing and calming effects. While scientific studies are still far away from uncovering its role in disease treatment, yoga seems to be a safe and potentially beneficial approach in health maintenance.
In addition, preliminary studies have found that long-term practice of yoga could be a potential remedy for a number of illnesses. For example, anxiety, depression, joint disease, pain and others.
Moreover, anecdotal reports suggest yoga might be beneficial in high blood pressure, cognitive decline, sleep disturbances, and high blood lipid levels.
In this article, we look at yoga poses that could help enhance sleep quality and sleep duration.
A Quick Overview of Yoga, Sleep Problems, and the Potential Link
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health defines yoga as
“a mind and body practice with historical origins in ancient Indian philosophy. Like other meditative movement practices used for health purposes, various styles of yoga typically combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.”
In simple terms, yoga is a lifestyle practice that aims to attain the highest level of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being using different physical postures, meditation, and relaxation techniques. Some people also call it mind-body intervention.
Interestingly, yoga has gradually emerged as a major alternative treatment approach in the US. According to a survey, approximately 6.9% of the US population practice some form of yoga and a sizeable proportion willing to take it up in the future.
Sleep problems can refer to any sleep-related issue that can potentially lead to other health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and poor-mental function. Unfortunately, sleep problems are common in developed countries including the US.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), A third of US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep.
Common signs and symptoms of sleep problems include:
Reduced total sleep time
Decreased sleep quality
Daytime sleepiness
Difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep
Frequent awakenings
A 2004 study found that yoga significantly improved sleep efficiency and total sleep time, and reduced time to fall asleep. In addition, the participants also reported fewer awakenings. Though the study was small with just 20 participants, it definitely showed the positive effects of yoga on sleep.
Likewise, another study found that yoga improved osteoarthritis-associated insomnia in middle-aged to older women.
Furthermore, another study noted that yoga intervention has a significant positive impact on sleep quality as well the quality of life in elderly.
Try These Yoga Poses to Sleep Better
1. Butterfly pose
How to do
Sit up in Staff Pose with your back straight. Elevate the hips slightly by placing a soft blanket under.
Exhale slowly. In the meantime, bend your knees and slowly bring the soles of your feet together to touch. Try to bring your heels as close to your pelvis as possible. Grab the outer edges of your feet and push into the floor and wrap your hands around your feet or ankles.
With a neutral pelvis, open the groins by slowly by working the outer knees towards the floor.
Continue with the same position with a neutral spine for 1 to 10 minutes.
2. Head to knee pose
How to do
Sit with one leg extended.
Fold other foot into inner thigh of the extended leg.
Forward fold over extended leg and hold on to either your calf or foot.
Repeat on the other leg.
3. Seated twist
How to do
Sit upright and elongate spine.
Place right hand flat on the floor behind you and left hand on the right knee.
As you exhale, twist round to the right, looking over your shoulder.
Hold for a maximum 5 breaths and switch sides.
4. Legs up the wall
How to do
Lie on the floor next to a wall.
Stretch legs up the wall at a 90-degree angle.
Continue this pose for a maximum of 5 minutes.
5. Easy forward bend
How to do
Sit cross-legged.
Lean forward over knees with arms stretched out in front of you.
Keep forehead as close to the ground as possible.
6. Bridge pose
How to do
Lie flat on your back.
Bend knees with feet hip-width apart and soles flat on the floor.
Gently roll pelvis upwards one vertebra at a time until hips are as elevated as possible.
Keep your arms by your side and hands flat on the floor.
7. Plow pose
How to do
Lie on your back and extend legs over your head.
Place feet onto the ground behind you with toes touching the floor.
Hands can be placed on the back or flat on the floor.
(Source: https://www.dreams.co.uk/sleep-matters-club/the-sleep-matters-club-bedtime-yoga-chart/)
Tips and Precautions to Consider
Find a peaceful place so that you can focus on movements and breathing.
Wear loose-fitting clothes that allow free movement.
Consider using a yoga mat.
Make sure to talk your doctor before starting yoga especially if you have a chronic disease like a heart condition, diabetes, arthritis, or if you are pregnant.
Want to Know More?
To know more about the yoga poses that help sleep better, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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Eliminating patient frustrations seems to be a constant battle for a great number of hospitals and health systems. Hospitals that focus on improving patient satisfaction gain significant advantage over competitors. Centralized patient access is the key for providing an ideal patient experience. Self-scheduling options keep common patient frustrations low such as confusion, getting transferred back and forth on the phone and waiting. SCI Solution’s infographic depicts the 5 Stages of Frustration, as well as the corresponding 5 Stages of Patient Satisfaction. Here they are.
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With so many people using computers at work, computer eye strain has become a major complaint. Research shows that eye strain and other bothersome visual symptoms occur in 50 to 90 percent of computer workers. These problems can range from physical fatigue, decreased productivity and increased numbers of errors, to minor annoyances like eye twitching and red eyes. Here are some easy steps you can take to reduce your risk of computer eye strain:
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The Ultimate Stages of Patient Frustration & Satisfaction
An Overview of Patient Frustration & SatisfactionFrustration is common among patients as they are concerned about their health and a probable insecurity about the diagnosis or the outcome of the treatment. Patient frustration may be seen at any time and place whether they are waiting for the doctor, paying the bills, or calling the hospital. Interestingly, some patients may become frustrated over the appearance of the doctor’s office. One of the most critical effects of patient frustration is that it can be toxic to the doctor-patient relationship. The opposite of patient frustration is what we call patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction provides a qualitative measure of the quality in health care. Most importantly, it influences treatment outcomes, patient retention, and medical malpractice claims. In short, satisfied patients are more likely to stick to the treatment and the provider. This creates a win-win situation for the both the patients and the providers. Patient frustration and satisfaction are the two sides of the same coin. Learn their stages so that you will be able to handle them more efficiently.
According to a report from Prophet, a part of the GE Healthcare Camden Group, “an alarming 81% of consumers are unsatisfied with their healthcare experience, and the happiest consumers are those who interact with the system the least.” The same report also suggests that 48% of all other healthcare consumers are frustrated.
Managing patient frustration can be a daunting task for many hospitals. They have to battle it out every day and the battle does not seem to end. However, it is clear that those who ensure low levels of patient frustration and high levels of patient satisfaction are more likely to succeed in their business.
An Overview of Patient Frustration & Satisfaction
Frustration is common among patients as they are concerned about their health and a probable insecurity about the diagnosis or the outcome of the treatment. Patient frustration may be seen at any time and place whether they are waiting for the doctor, paying the bills, or calling the hospital. Interestingly, some patients may become frustrated over the appearance of the doctor’s office. One of the most critical effects of patient frustration is that it can be toxic to the doctor-patient relationship.
The opposite of patient frustration is what we call patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction provides a qualitative measure of the quality in health care. Most importantly, it influences treatment outcomes, patient retention, and medical malpractice claims. In short, satisfied patients are more likely to stick to the treatment and the provider. This creates a win-win situation for the both the patients and the providers.
Stages of Patient Frustration and Satisfaction
If you are looking to improve patient satisfaction and expand your business, you should first identify the stages of frustration. It will enable you to take timely steps to retain the patients before they finally decide to exit.
The stages of frustration are:
● Scared and waiting
Naturally, patients are scared about their health condition and its potential sequelae. The fear can further increase their irritability making it harder for the healthcare professional to handle the situation.
For example, a patient waiting for the biopsy report is undoubtedly scared and stressed out, and is more likely to behave erratically. Only a slight trigger can precipitate their anxiety and those around them have to bear the brunt of their outburst.
Waiting is essentially a boring job even when you are expecting to see a glimpse of your beloved! How can you be happy or calm if you are waiting for a diagnostic report?
● Angry and surprised
Anger is a very complex emotion, which is an expression of negativity towards any person, situation, or even an object. The level of anger can increase by many folds in common situations like waiting or talking to a doctor who seems to busy answer the questions.
It is during an emotional outburst that most patients make wrong decisions. They might even think to switch to another provider who they think are more compassionate about their feelings and emotions.
● Confused
Confusion is a common staple of frustration. It develops when your decision-making ability is significantly diminished most probably due to an ongoing tussle between the thoughts about your health and its potential consequences on your relations and financial status.
Some typical examples of a confused state of mind are the questions such as:
Will my report show a dreadful disease?
What do I do next?
Shall I inform my loved ones about my health condition?
How will I pay the huge bills?
What will happen to my family if I die?
and so on….
The most important negative effect of confusion is that it takes away your rational thinking, which in turn, can further deteriorate the situation.
The stages of patient satisfaction are:
● Reassured and respected
In simple terms, reassurance is the state of clarity even when you know you have a disease. It removes fears regarding the illness and helps the patient plan ahead in spite of the disease. A reassured patient is relatively happier and more likely to participate in the future medical interventions. Altogether, reassurance provides a sense of security and hence increase the treatment outcomes.
For a patient to continue a treatment, they should first feel respected about their existence. In essence, respect, both emerging from the inside and outside, sparks a source of motivation and removes their existential crisis.
● In control and prepared
Being in control of what is going on with your health and life is a satisfying feeling. Moreover, it can help you stay prepared for both the best and the worst, whatever may come your way.
● Empowered
Like being control of the situation, being empowered is another great feeling. Patient empowerment gives them a sense of authority, which can help them make better decisions.
Want To Know More?
To know more about patient frustration and satisfaction, and ways to manage them, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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How to Avoid Eye Strain: Top 5 Measures that Really Work
What is Eye Strain? Know the Basics“The eyes are the windows to your soul.” Can you afford to keep the windows to your soul under strain? Definitely not. However, eye strain is quite common. Long hours of staring at the screen, pollution, nutritional deficiencies, poor lighting, and a lack of rest can all cause eye discomfort.
Because eyes are vital organs, it is critically important that you take care of them not only to prevent complications but also to keep in them in good health.
This article looks at the most effective and science-backed ways to avoid eye strain that are easy to implement.
What is Eye Strain? Know the Basics
Eye strain, also called asthenopia, is an umbrella term for a number of signs and symptoms that can result due to excessive load on the eyes. Though invariably uncomfortable, all cases of eye strain are not serious and may not always lead to complications.
Eye strain may cause one or more of the following symptoms:
Headache
Blurred vision
Dryness in the eyes
Eye discomfort which is non-specific
Tired eyes or ocular fatigue
What Causes Eye Strain?
Eye strain is not a disease in itself, rather a result of an overuse of the eye muscles. The most common risk factors include - continuous exposure to bright or dim light and extended use of monitors.
In some people, underling eye conditions such as refractive errors may also lead to eye strain. For such cases, treating the underlying cause eases the discomfort.
5 Science-Backed Ways to Avoid Eye Strain
If your work demands you to look at the monitor for hours, make sure to blink the eyes frequently and take frequent breaks. Continue reading to find out more.
1. Regular eye checking
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends an eye examination at least once every year even if you do not have eye strain. Doing so will help detect any underlying cause and prevent potential complications.
Before you visit an eye doctor, make sure to prepare a list of questions to ask. When you visit the doctor, tell them clearly about your daily screen time (includes both professional and non-professional activities), the distance between the screen and your eyes, the severity and timing of the symptoms, and others. With this information, the doctor will be more likely to pinpoint your eye problem.
2. Eye exercise
One of the most common causes of eye strain is the continuous use of eye muscles for prolonged periods. Long hours of staring at the monitor causes eye fatigue.
To reduce eye fatigue, most eye doctors recommend a simple exercise called the “20-20 rule”. Here is how you can do it effectively.
Every 20 minutes, take your eyes off the screen.
Stare at an object that is at least 20 feet away from your eyes.
Continue staring for at least 20 seconds.
You may repeat this for 4-5 times before you start working on the monitor again.
A similar eye exercise requires you to gaze at a distant object for 10-15 seconds.
Both exercises are great for relieving the pressure on the eyes as looking at a distant object relaxes the eye muscles. You may want to try out both for a few weeks and find out what works the best for you. If you have any questions or want to know about other exercises, talk to your doctor.
3. Proper lighting
Too much or too little light in the room and on the screen can cause eye strain. To make sure the optimal light reaches your eyes, follow the following tips.
Prevent excessive bright light from coming to your room by closing drapes and using fewer bulbs in the room.
Reduce the screen lighting so that it is approximately half as bright as the light in the room.
Whenever possible, place the monitor so the windows are to the side.
If you use an overhead light, replace it with a floor lamp.
4. Monitor cleaning
Cleaning the monitor regularly has more benefits than just increasing its durability. A clear screen makes the texts crisp and easily readable. Consequently, this would take off a substantial chunk of pressure on the eyes.
While cleaning the monitor, use a product that is specifically developed to protect the monitor from harsh chemicals. Also, never spray the cleaner directly on the screen. Rather, spray it on a piece of a soft cloth and rub the cloth gently on the monitor. Do not forget to keep your glasses clean if you wear them.
4. Frequent blinking
Blinking is a natural way to moisten the eyes and reduce strain. Because dryness or a lack of moisture is a major cause of irritation, it is necessary to blink more often. No one exactly knows how many times to blink, as it is almost impossible to pinpoint the frequency owing to a large variation in the individual eye characteristics and the amount of exposure to the monitor.
Nonetheless, a rule of thumb is to blink 10 times every 20 minutes. Do not forget to close the eyes slowly and completely. A partial blink does not provide enough time for the eyes to rewet.
Want To Know More?
To know more about tips to avoid eye strain, visit www.FindaTopDoc.com. Also, gain unlimited access to a myriad of other benefits. Readers can find evidence-based health information with just a click. Driven by the aim to provide authentic information about diseases, drugs, supplements, medical procedures, and lifestyle tips to all its visitors, FindaTopDoc.com and CEO Anthony Casimano allow visitors to read about the best doctors locally. Readers can choose the doctor that best meets their unique health needs, and request to schedule an appointment instantly.
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