Brenda Williams's articles from Holistic Health Articleshttp://www.holistichealtharticles.com/Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:52:49 EDTHolisticHealthArticles.com http://www.holistichealtharticles.com/Art/8938/401/Growing-Older-With-Driving.html
Growing older is something that is going to happen no matter how hard you try to "not" act your age As a side effect of growing older, one of the unfortunate things that we often have to experience is a dulling of our reflexes For example, if you have ever driven with an older person, typically you can observe how their response time is not always as sharp as that of someone who is younger (though this is certainly not always the case)

Recently, I had to drive somewhere with my grandmother when I noticed that her driving was beginning to make me nervous At one point, she was driving in the wrong lane because her wheels were very clearly over the line, thereby cutting into someone else s lane In a situation like this, what do you do? Do you correct the person who is driving? Do you wait for another driver to honk at you? Or do you simply sit back with your eyes closed and hope that you don t get into an accident? In that particular case, I chose the third option

Being 78 years old and still sharp as a whip, my grandmother is fully able to take care of herself and is not shy about telling people how much she enjoys driving Driving, in her case, is freedom It allows her to get out and explore the area that she lives in She can go shopping on her own, and it gives her a sense of independence that many of her other friends her age have since lost a long time ago But how do you tell someone that their driving makes them nervous? Is it simply a product of getting older?

I shudder to think about how my driving will look if I am lucky enough to reach the ripe old age of 80 years old It is something best to not think about With my parents or brother or boyfriend, I am not shy at all about telling them how awful their driving can be at times If I feel that they are following someone too close or are about to change lanes dangerously, sometimes I will let them know that it s probably not a good idea Don t get me wrong; I am NOT a backseat driver by any stretch of the imagination, which is probably why I don t want to seem like one to my grandmother

I guess that my grandmother s driving makes me nervous because I am nervous for her I worry that she is going to get herself into an accident one day simply because she was not paying attention or didn t have the reflexes to react to someone elses bad driving This is someone who doesn t use her cell phone and doesn t even listen to her radio when other people are in the car and she s driving That being said, she s following the rules of trying to be as alert as possible, although it s still not having the intended effect that it ought to

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I used to run cross country and track when I was in college; and while running was what was required of me at the time (because I was on scholarship), I still continue to run even though I am no longer a student

Running is beneficial in many ways For starters, there is evidence that shows how those people who run are putting themselves at a much lower risk of having osteoporosis and other types of degenerative bone diseases Additionally, because it is a purely cardiovascular activity, running helps to regulate your metabolism and keep the weight off For instance, it is recommended that you get at least 3 4 days of at least thirty minutes of some sort of cardio exercise Therefore, if you run every day for at least thirty minutes, you re doing well

Another benefit of running is that it helps to keep your heart healthy and scares off diseases such as diabetes If you look around you, most people in the United States are grossly overweight Women, men, and now children, are walking around with stomachs that hang over their pants, rolls of fat and plenty of health related problems that go along with it So, what is the problem? What gives? As it turns out, many people are focused on going to work and then coming home to pig out Think about it; most of us are so busy working two to three jobs that it often becomes difficult to squeeze our "three meals a day" into our busy schedules So, what ends up happening is we wind up stuffing our faces at the end of the day because we are starving However, because we are usually starving, in our rush to put food into our stomachs, we often make poor food choices

Don t get me wrong; it s ok to indulge in the things that you like, just as long as you re not over indulging For instance, you can like sweets However, every piece of food (literally) counts towards your overall health If you have a piece of a Snickers bar every hour over the course of a day, for instance, where do you think things will end up? However, if you have a piece of a snickers bar and then the rest of the day you eat fruit, veggies and some type of protein, who have you really hurt? Probably no one

Running should be complementary to a diet that consists of healthy eating choices, plenty of water and lots of rest I can remember a few times where I ve stayed up late in order to get some work done or have skipped meals to get work done only to get up first thing in the morning (exhausted) to go for a run or work out Remember, the key to a healthy lifestyle is balance You cannot run for an hour in the morning after getting very little sleep only to then rush to the fast food restaurant at lunchtime because you re running late for a business meeting

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All of us know how important it is to make sure that we get enough sleep However, how many of us can actually say that we, in fact, get enough sleep? There are some people who swear that getting anywhere between five and six hours of sleep a night is more than enough However, nothing could be further from the truth So, what is it then that prevents us from getting to bed on time?

For some people, the problem with getting enough sleep starts with the fact that they have trouble winding down at night After a busy day at work or school, it seems like there is still so much left to do From food shopping to washing clothes, washing dishes, folding laundry and checking emails If anything, it seems as if there simply isn t enough time in the day to fit everything in that we need to Additionally, we need to remind ourselves that there is more to sleep than what we do during the day In fact, studies have shown that the more we think at nighttime (or whenever it is that we are trying to go to sleep), the more difficulty we have getting to sleep

There are also studies which suggest that not getting enough sleep can actually shed years off of one s life! Now, if that isn t something that will keep you up at night, I don t know what else will! This is all the more reason to make every effort to get your Zs So, what can you do? For starters, make sure that your bedroom is functioning solely as a bedroom This means clearing all of the books out and even that desk that you do work at You should never use your bed as a place to do work (especially for those of us who work at home) Even laundry should be folded elsewhere away from your bed The only thing that your bed should be used for is sleeping It s good to get your body used to this, this way it will automatically start to relax and prepare for sleep as part of a sort of ritual

Renovating your bedroom to make it more sleep focused can be fun You can play with things such as lighting to make the lights more subdued You shouldn t have any bright lights in your bedroom Additionally, you should choose calming colors to help soothe your eyes For example, you wouldn t want to paint your bedroom bright orange or even bright red because these are not colors that you will relax to Furniture should be chosen with care as well There is a saying that choosing things that are simpler is usually the way to go The less clutter you have in your bedroom, the less things you will have to focus on Also, less clutter is better for those who suffer from allergies as it will attract less dust and make the space significantly easier to clean

Lastly, to really help soothe you into sleep, try bringing in a radio or cd player to play soothing nature sounds or a guided meditation It can really work wonders!

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It seems that whenever people are faced with the idea of getting more exercise, many of us shy away It s almost as if we would rather do anything else in the world versus what is actually beneficial for us As many of us are already victims of stressing ourselves out with work, school, kids, family, friends and just life in general, it seems like the last thing on our "To Do" list each day revolves around exercise

Many people feel as if exercising is a burden of sorts because it involves finding a gym, paying a gym membership and then making sure that you remember to go to the gym Also, depending on where you live, you may have to arrange your mornings or evenings to get up super early so that you leave yourself enough time to get to the gym, work out, shower, eat and then get to work However, most of this is easily resolved Contrary to what most people believe, you do not necessarily have to belong to a gym in order to get into really good shape or even decent shape For example, exercising can consist of getting up each morning to go for a quick twenty to thirty minute run around your neighborhood If you are anxious about working out outside by yourself, call a friend or perhaps joining a gym is a better option for you

When you join a gym, you should consider the type of athlete you are or want to become You should have a clear set of goals in mind for what you want to achieve, and this will help guide you in your gym search For example, if you know that you are going to be able to devote a lot of time to going to the gym every day or for a certain number of days each week, then you may benefit from going to a larger gym that has more to offer in the way of classes that you can take as well as plenty of exercise equipment that you won t have to wait in line for However, if you know that you will only be using the gym once or twice a week, then you may want to look for a cheaper gym with less amenities (since you won t really be taking advantage of any added extras)

If you live in an apartment complex, many apartment complexes come with little home gyms in them These are great for when you want to work out real quick and the weather outside isn t the best It may just take a little while before you figure out what days are the best to go as well as what times so that you aren t bumping elbows with too many gym goers The other thing to keep in mind is that exercising isn t just about going to a gym, it s about finding the time to make it a priorty your health that is! If you combine a daily ritual of getting at least thirty to sixty minutes of cardiovascular exercise in with a diet of fresh fruits and veggies, then you surely cannot go wrong in maintaining a healthy anda balanced lifestyle

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There are many people in today s society who have a high propensity to get themselves stressed out Whether it is over work or school or relationships, it seems as if the possibilities are endless when it comes to finding things to become stressed out over

There have been studies that show that you can actually make yourself even more stressed out, thereby increasing your cholesterol levels because of unnecessary stress It is quite amazing how much calming yourself down by either taking a couple of deep breaths or perhaps enrolling in a yoga class or two can really work wonders for stress levels that may or may not be out of control Additionally, stress hampers your ability to focus and make clear, well thought out decisions Should you find yourself in a stressful situation, you may want to consider closing your eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths

Some people deal with stress by resorting to drug use For many people, this often involves going through a psychologist and/or a psychiatrist in order to first determine that your stress levels are beyond management Typically, prescription drug use is often a last resort to helping to resolve stress related issues Ideally, a person who is suffering from high stress should first try to see what there is in their immediate environment that can be altered so that they may live a more stress free life Sometimes this may mean acquiring a new pet, taking on a new hobby; and more often than not, it almost always involves increasing the amount of exercise that you incorporate into your daily routine

People almost always underestimate the power and influence that a little exercise can have in the life of someone who is dealing with a lot of stress Often times, we can channel stressful thoughts and feelings into some sort of cardio related exercise such as walking or jogging or even bicycling However, channeling stressful or negative energy into exercise should never be confused with substituting You should use the time that you are exercising to think of positive ways to address your stressful situation ways that you can improve your life and make it better However, there are some of us who take this opportunity to avoid whatever it is that is bothering us What we don t realize though is that by avoiding an issue, we are not resolving anything Rather, we are merely setting the problem aside for a later date It should always be at the forefront that in order to properly resolve any issue, we must think of a positive way to address it directly

Stress doesn t have to rule your life Too often, stress makes people unhappy Look at most celebrities who have a ton of money Despite this fact, many of them are STILL unhappy with themselves as people or with whatever particular situation is going on in their lives Think of positive ways to be proactive about what stresses you out in your life

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Our bodies depend on glucose for energy In order for the body to utilize the glucose, the cells of the body have to extract it from the blood To do this they need a hormone known as insulin Insulin is produced in the pancreas If the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin or if the cells of the body do not respond correctly to the insulin that is produced the level of glucose in the blood will increase because the glucose is not being absorbed by the body s cells The result is a disease called diabetes mellitus or more commonly diabetes

The normal glucose level in the blood is from 65 to 120 milligrams per deciliter or (mg/dL) Under normal circumstances this balance is maintained in spite of a surge of sugar following eating a meal or snack or a few hours without sugar when one doesn t eat, for example, at night while sleeping However, when insulin is not produced or utilized normally, the balance is disrupted and glucose levels either rise too high or fall too low There are three types of diabetes mellitus: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes

The form of diabetes that is common to children is Type 1 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes usually affects adults over forty years of age although it can develop in children and this is now happening more often than in the past Gestational diabetes is restricted to pregnant women Type 1 diabetes is classified as an auto immune disease

Because the immune system attacks the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, the body has less insulin available than is required Type 1 may be genetic or it can be the result of a virus Scientists are not sure about this Both boys and girls are equally susceptible to Type 1 diabetes

Scientists also do not understand why Type 2 diabetes is suddenly starting to affect children However, they believe that this may be due to overweight and inactivity Symptoms of diabetes in children include excessive thirst and urination, weight loss or failure to gain weight, fatigue and large appetite Since treatment can be a lifetime procedure, it is important that parents and children work together to manage the diabetes The child must learn the importance of checking and maintaining proper blood sugar levels If insulin injections are required, the child must learn how to do this and must know the schedule for the injections

Maintaining a proper diet is extremely important and this may be difficult with children Parents can control what the child eats at home but away from home and in school is a different matter Most young children are fond of sugar snacks such as candy and these need to be avoided However, diabetic children can have sugarless candy
Diabetic children also need to eat on a regular schedule of meals interspersed with healthy snacks In addition, they must follow a regular exercise program Teachers and school administrators should always be advised if a child is diabetic and they need to be informed of medication schedules and diet

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Our feet probably suffer more abuse than any part of our body and receive the least care Most people devote far more time and money than caring for their faces than looking after their feet But sometimes the feet decide to revolt and remind us of their presence The results can be both annoying and painful Improperly fitted shoes are a common cause of foot problems Other causes are a result of medical problems elsewhere in the body such as poor circulation, diabetes, or nerve damage But most foot problems are at least helped if not cured by care in selecting a shoe that fits properly

Most people s feet are arched between the heel and the toes But some people have feet that are flat with no arch This condition is called fallen arches Most of us are born with flat feet and don t develop arches until we are between five and six years old But some people never develop arches Other people s feet flatten as they age due to stretched ligaments While many people with fallen arches have no foot problems others have pain and a stiff feeling in their feet They may also experience these symptoms in their legs and lower back For those who do have pain, arch supports can be custom designed for shoes and wearing these often alleviates the pain Exercising the ligaments and muscles of the foot can also help

Another condition that causes foot pain is Morton Neuroma The bones that comprise the central arch of your foot are called the metatarsal bones If two of these happen to rub together, they irritate a nerve A tumor develops on the compressed nerve The result is intense pain, numbness, burning and cramping sensations in the foot These symptoms all appear between the toes and in the ball of the foot Conservative treatments include pads to relieve the pressure, wearing larger shoes, and corticosteroid injections When these are ineffective, surgery is usually required While the surgery is generally successful, the nerve tissue sometimes grows back and another neuroma is formed

A foot ulcer is an open sore that appears on the foot Common causes of foot ulcers are nerve damage, constant pressure on the area of the foot where the ulcer occurs, improperly fitted shoes, and poor circulation Diabetics are more susceptible to foot ulcers because of their poor circulation A person who develops a foot ulcer needs to see their doctor Foot ulcer treatment generally does not involve surgery But a neglected foot ulcer can become infected and that condition may result in gangrene

When the fibrous tissue at the base of the heel and under the foot becomes inflamed the condition is known as plantar fasciltis This frequently results in intense pain in the heel and the sole of the foot just in front of the heel Flexing the sole upwards will worsen the pain

The pain is most intense after periods of sleep and other inactivity Conservative treatments include wearing a foam pad in the shoes, wearing a heel cup, or wearing a shoe cushion When these treatments are ineffective, nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs may be prescribed to relieve pain and swelling Stretching exercises are also recommended If none of these treatments are effective, a doctor may recommend corticosteroid injections

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There are four forms of Lupus: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus, Drug Induced Lupus Erythematosus, and Neonatal Lupus When people discuss lupus, they are usually referring to Systemic Lupus Erythematosus However, lupus in any form is an autoimmune disease Our immune system is programmed to protect our bodies from foreign invaders that will do us harm such as germs, bacteria, and viruses As soon as the immune system senses the presence of an invader, it produces antibodies to destroy it However, in the case of an autoimmune disease, the immune system fails to distinguish between the cells of our body and a foreign invader and attacks our body cells

Drug induced lupus is caused by certain prescription drugs It may have symptoms similar to systemic lupus erythematosus but it does not attack major organs and it is not chronic This illness goes away within six months of stopping the medication Neonatal lupus affects babies born to mothers who have lupus It is a rare condition and can be treated before or at birth Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus is restricted to the skin Rashes develop on the face, neck, scalp, in the mouth and nose This form of lupus may also be accompanied by hair loss and changes in skin pigmentation

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus can attack any part of the body and may be mild or severe Severe lupus affects major organs of the body such as the heart, lungs, brain, nervous system and kidneys However, most cases of lupus are mild Lupus affects women more often than men Nearly ninety percent of the patients are women The disease is most common in women between the ages of 15 and 44 It is also more likely to strike people of color African Americans, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans and Hispanics are more likely to contract lupus than Caucasians These ethnic groups will also experience symptoms at an earlier age and be more severely affected

Lupus is a disease in which patients have good days and bad days Some days your symptoms are worse and you feel ill; other days the symptoms are not as bad and you feel better It is not a contagious disease in that it can be transmitted by contact however there is some evidence to indicate heredity may play a role Lupus is extremely difficult to diagnose The medical profession refers to lupus as the great imitator because its symptoms are the same as is present in many other illnesses The symptoms are also vague and intermittent And they vary according to the part of the body that is under attack

There is no one diagnostic test that is conclusive For instance there is a blood test called antinuclear antibodies or ANAs It tests for the presence of abnormal antibodies If one has a negative result, it indicates that one does not have lupus but a positive result does not mean that one does have It will sometimes require years before a doctor can make a definite diagnosis of lupus Treatment is dependent upon the part of the body that is affected by the disease, as is the type of doctor who will administer the treatment

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Sinuses are air filled sacs located in your head You have four pair: frontal, maxillary, ethmoid, and sphenoid The frontal sinuses are located in the bone just above your eyes The maxillary sinuses lie beneath your cheeks Ethmoid sinuses are on either side of your nose but further back in your skull Sphenoid sinuses are just below the ethmoid sinuses These sacs are lined with thin membranes that produce mucus The mucus flushes out bacteria, viruses and dust It drains out of the sinuses and into the nose through small openings When these openings become blocked sinusitis occurs Sinusitis is the term used to describe inflammation of the sinuses

Sinusitis can be chronic or temporary Infections or allergies may cause the thin membranes in the sinuses to swell Then the openings are blocked causing discomfort and a feeling of congestion Bacteria also infect the sinuses when the mucus builds up and offers a breeding ground Sinus blockage can also be caused by a viral infection If the inflammation is caused by bacteria, it is usually accompanied by fever, congestion, a green nasal discharge, pain, a red flush over the sinus and a toothache just below the sinus In very serious cases, high fevers and shaking chills may occur

How sinusitis is treated depends on the cause Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics Other infections may be treated with decongestant pills, nasal sprays, antihistamine pills, or nasal corticosteroid sprays There are also some home remedies that are effective to prevent and treat sinusitis It is recommended that the person drink lots of fluids, at least sixty four ounces a day This will keep the mucus thin and flowing Apply warm packs over the infected sinuses or inhaling steam is also effective If you believe that your sinusitis is due to seasonal allergies, try to determine the cause of the allergy and then avoid the allergen

There are also some lifestyle changes that may be required Scuba divers are advised to avoid diving until their sinusitis is completely cured Anyone planning to travel by air needs to avoid flying if congestion is still present The changes in air pressure that occur during flights can force more mucus into the sinuses If people persist in flying, they are advise to use a decongestant an hour before taking off and use a decongestant nasal spray about a half hour before the plane embarks upon its descent They should also consume lots of fluids during the flight, preferably water and juices

When all the various treatments are not effective and sinusitis still recurs, your doctor may consider surgery as an option The surgery is designed to enlarge the narrow sinus openings During the surgery tiny endoscopes are inserted through the nose and into the sinus passages Endoscopes are thin flexible tubes with a camera mounted on the tips Most of them have a light, a viewer to reflect the image to the scope and a lens to enlarge the image The surgery will widen the openings and thus improve drainage No incisions are ever made on the facial skin

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There are many people who suffer and have suffered from recurring ulcers In the past the only available treatment was acid reducing treatment and patients often had to take these for many years At that time, the medical profession never associated ulcers with bacteria, as the acid environment of the stomach did not provide a comfortable environment for bacteria Then in 1994 scientists discovered that there was one bacterium that could survive and thrive not just in the human stomach but also in the stomach of any warm blooded animal The name of this organism is Helicobacter pylori commonly referred to as H pylori

H pylori can invade the stomach because nature has equipped it with protection against stomach acids This organism can produce urease in very large quantities Urease is an enzyme capable of generating ammonia The ammonia produced by this enzyme neutralizes the acids produced by the stomach So H pylori encloses itself in ammonia formed walls and then penetrates the mucous layer protecting the stomach from gastric acids Once embedded into the protective layer, it thins it out and poisons the nearby cells with various toxins including ammonia H pylori infection is more common in the elderly and low income people It occurs far more frequently in developing countries than in the United States

Doctors use three methods to diagnose H pylori infections One is a blood test The test will measure the antibodies against the bacterium that are present in your blood Another test requires you to swallow a substance that is broken down from the urease produced by H pylori Your blood will absorb this substance and when you exhale it will be detected by testing your breath The test that is slightly more accurate involves an endoscopy Here a sample is removed from the stomach lining and viewed through a microscope When the urease produced by H pylori is found and the bacterium is visible the diagnosis is certain

Ulcers due to an infection by H pylori can be and are treated by antibiotics Several medications have to be used together The combination heals the ulcer and significantly reduces the chance that the infection will recur There are three treatments commonly used to treat H pylori infections Two involve the use of the antibiotics clarithromycin with metronidazole or clarithromycin with amoxicillin In one the chosen antibiotic combination is paired with a proton pump inhibitor The second involves the use of the chosen antibiotics with a pill combined of ranitidine and bismuth citrate instead of the proton pump inhibitor Neither treatment has significant side effects however the treatment using the proton pump inhibitor is more expensive

The third treatment is the least expensive but does have side effects such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and one has to take the medications more often Again, two antibiotics are prescribed Metronidazole is combined with either amoxicilin or tetracycline One of the pairs is given with bismuth citrate and an H2 blocker There are also regimens available that use only two kinds of medications but they have not been found to be as effective as those using three types of medicines

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