We all experience stress in our daily lives from different sources: jobs, relationships, finances. And whether you’re dealing with a daily stressor, chronic stress, or a major life challenge like illness or divorce, stress can take a significant toll on you both physically and emotionally. How do you know when you’re dealing with a level of stress that’s unhealthy for you?
The answer to this question can be tricky for a few reasons:
Stress affects the body in many different ways.
Some of these are obvious, but others may not be as noticeable or easy to detect until they become more severe.
Different people are affected more or less intensely, and in different ways.
The effects of stress often look like symptoms of other illnesses (partially due to the fact that stress lowers immunity and makes us vulnerable to many things), sometimes people mistake symptoms of illness for stress and vice versa.
People who thrive on stress tend to feel it as their natural state, making it more difficult to discern stress symptoms until after much of their stress is alleviated.
When under high levels of stress, people often find it difficult to stop and notice their body’s responses.
While stress affects everyone in a unique way, there are certain factors that are common. If you are experiencing any of the following, it could be a sign that you’re being affected by stress:
Headaches: Certain types of headaches can be related to stress. If you’re experiencing more headaches, especially tension headaches, stress could be the culprit.
More Frequent Colds or Flu: There’s an inverse relationship between stress and immunity, so if you’re under too much stress, you may be getting sick more often.
Sleep Problems: There are many ways that stress affects sleep. Too much stress can rob you of sleep and make the sleep you get less restorative.
General Anxiety: Anxiety does serve an important function for survival, but if you’re feeling anxious much of the time, it could be because you have too many stressors in your life, or it may indicate a medical condition like generalized anxiety disorder. If you experience an increase in anxiety, you may want to to talk to your doctor.
‘Fuzzy Thinking’: Your body’s stress response pumps your body with hormones that make it possible for you to fight or flee quickly. When triggered in excess, this stress response can actually cause you to think less quickly.
Feelings of Frustration: If you’re faced with many demands at once, the natural result for many people is increased frustration and irritability. The trick is to find ways to prevent frustration and calm down quickly.
Lowered Libido: Stress can affect your libido in several ways. If you’re too tired for sex, or can’t seem find the time for your partner, this can be due to stress in your life as well.
These are just a few of the many ways that stress can affect your body and mind. For a more thorough assessment of stress symptoms that you may have, take our free assessment test, The Stress Symptom Quiz, and find more information to help with specific symptoms of stress that you may be experiencing.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Men and Osteoporosis
A man over the age of 50 has a greater chance of suffering a fracture as a result of osteoporosis than of being diagnosed with prostate cancer. And almost one in five men will suffer a hip fracture by age 90, with a third of them dying as a result of complications during healing.
But, to most people, osteoporosis continues to be viewed as a woman's disease, even within the medical community. The absence of a uniform recommendation for the routine screening of men with osteoporosis can lead to the misdiagnosis of the disease in men, as when male patients present with symptoms of osteoporosis identical to those of female patients - such as back pain.
For this reason, it's important for men to be aware of red flags for the disease, such as loss of height, changes in posture, and sudden back pain. There are a number of conditions that can raise osteoporosis risk, including use of drugs like corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, and chemotherapeutic agents: low testosterone levels; intestinal, liver, liver, or kidney disorders that could affect use of calcium and vitamin D; alcoholism; and limited mobility.
Fortunately, treatment options for men with osteoporosis continue to expand. While the estrogens used in women's hormone replacement therapy and the hormone-like drug raloxifene (Evista) are not considered appropriate options, the Food and Drug Administration has given approval for men to take alendronate (Fosamax) and, in cases of steroid-induced osteoporosis, risedronate (Actonel). In addition, physicians may also prescribe testosterone replacement therapy and calcitonin (Miacalcin). The latter is only officially approved for women at the moment but may work similarly to reduce bone loss and prevent fractures in men.
Men, like women, should do all they can to prevent osteoporosis in the first place: avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake; consume at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 400 International Units of Vitamin D each day (1,200 milligrams of calcium if you're 51 or older and 600 units of vitamin D if you're at least 71); and engage regularly in weight-bearing exercise, such as brisk walking or jogging
But, to most people, osteoporosis continues to be viewed as a woman's disease, even within the medical community. The absence of a uniform recommendation for the routine screening of men with osteoporosis can lead to the misdiagnosis of the disease in men, as when male patients present with symptoms of osteoporosis identical to those of female patients - such as back pain.
For this reason, it's important for men to be aware of red flags for the disease, such as loss of height, changes in posture, and sudden back pain. There are a number of conditions that can raise osteoporosis risk, including use of drugs like corticosteroids, anticonvulsants, and chemotherapeutic agents: low testosterone levels; intestinal, liver, liver, or kidney disorders that could affect use of calcium and vitamin D; alcoholism; and limited mobility.
Fortunately, treatment options for men with osteoporosis continue to expand. While the estrogens used in women's hormone replacement therapy and the hormone-like drug raloxifene (Evista) are not considered appropriate options, the Food and Drug Administration has given approval for men to take alendronate (Fosamax) and, in cases of steroid-induced osteoporosis, risedronate (Actonel). In addition, physicians may also prescribe testosterone replacement therapy and calcitonin (Miacalcin). The latter is only officially approved for women at the moment but may work similarly to reduce bone loss and prevent fractures in men.
Men, like women, should do all they can to prevent osteoporosis in the first place: avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake; consume at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 400 International Units of Vitamin D each day (1,200 milligrams of calcium if you're 51 or older and 600 units of vitamin D if you're at least 71); and engage regularly in weight-bearing exercise, such as brisk walking or jogging
Age Related Macular Degeneration
Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a common eye disease associated with aging that gradually destroys sharp, central vision. Central vision is needed for seeing objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading and driving. In some people, AMD advances so slowly that it will have little effect on their vision as they age. But in others, the disease progresses faster and may lead to a loss of vision in one or both eyes.
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and legal blindness in people over 65. It causes gradual but painless damage to the macula. The retina is a paper-thin tissue that lines the back of the eye and sends visual signals to the brain. In the middle of the retina is a tiny area called the macula. The macula is made up of millions of light-sensing cells that help to produce central vision. People with AMD continue to have peripheral vision but gradually find it difficult or impossible to read, drive a car, or identify faces.
AMD occurs in two forms:
Dry AMD--Ninety percent of all people with AMD have this type. Scientists are still not sure what causes dry AMD. Studies suggest that an area of the retina becomes diseased, leading to the slow breakdown of the light-sensing cells in the macula and a gradual loss of central vision.
Wet AMD--Although only 10 percent of all people with AMD have this type, it accounts for 90 percent of all blindness from the disease. As dry AMD worsens, new blood vessels may begin to grow and cause "wet" AMD. Because these new blood vessels tend to be very fragile, they will often leak blood and fluid under the macula. This causes rapid damage to the macula that can lead to the loss of central vision in a short period of time.
The greatest risk factor is age. Although AMD may occur during middle age, studies show that people over age 60 are clearly at greater risk than other age groups. For instance, a large study found that people in middle-age have about a 2 percent risk of getting AMD, but this risk increased to nearly 30 percent in those over age 75.
Other AMD risk factors include:
Gender--Women tend to be at greater risk for AMD than men.
Race--Whites are much more likely to lose vision from AMD than Blacks.
Smoking--Smoking may increase the risk of AMD.
Family History--Those with immediate family members who have AMD are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
Both dry and wet AMD cause no pain. The most common early sign of dry AMD is blurred vision. As fewer cells in the macula are able to function, people will see details less clearly in front of them, such as faces or words in a book. Often this blurred vision will go away in brighter light. If the loss of these light--sensing cells becomes great, people may see a small--but growing-blind spot in the middle of their field of vision.
The classic early symptom of wet AMD is that straight lines appear crooked. This results when fluid from the leaking blood vessels gathers and lifts the macula, distorting vision. A small blind spot may also appear in wet AMD, resulting in loss of one's central vision.
Your eye care professional may suspect AMD if you are over age 60 and have had recent changes in your central vision. To look for signs of the disease, he or she will use eye drops to dilate, or enlarge, your pupils. Dilating the pupils allows your eye care professional to view the back of the eye better.
You may also be asked to view an Amsler grid, a pattern that looks like a checkerboard. Early changes in your central vision will cause the grid to appear distorted, a sign of AMD.
No treatment now exists for dry AMD. Some studies have suggested that taking certain extra vitamins and minerals may slow the progress of the disease. But this treatment needs much more research before scientists can know for sure if it's helpful.
Eye care professionals can treat some cases of wet AMD with laser surgery. This treatment involves aiming a strong light beam onto the new blood vessels to destroy them. Laser surgery is done in a doctor's office or in an eye clinic and lasts a short period of time. Although a person may go home the same day, he or she will need to return for follow-up exams.
Although there is no effective treatment for dry AMD at this time, it is crucial that those who progress to wet AMD and need laser surgery have it before the disease destroys central vision. For this reason, if you have dry AMD or are age 60 or older, you should have your eyes examined through dilated pupils at least once a year. You may also want to get an Amsler grid from your eye care professional to check your vision at home.
AMD is the leading cause of vision loss and legal blindness in people over 65. It causes gradual but painless damage to the macula. The retina is a paper-thin tissue that lines the back of the eye and sends visual signals to the brain. In the middle of the retina is a tiny area called the macula. The macula is made up of millions of light-sensing cells that help to produce central vision. People with AMD continue to have peripheral vision but gradually find it difficult or impossible to read, drive a car, or identify faces.
AMD occurs in two forms:
Dry AMD--Ninety percent of all people with AMD have this type. Scientists are still not sure what causes dry AMD. Studies suggest that an area of the retina becomes diseased, leading to the slow breakdown of the light-sensing cells in the macula and a gradual loss of central vision.
Wet AMD--Although only 10 percent of all people with AMD have this type, it accounts for 90 percent of all blindness from the disease. As dry AMD worsens, new blood vessels may begin to grow and cause "wet" AMD. Because these new blood vessels tend to be very fragile, they will often leak blood and fluid under the macula. This causes rapid damage to the macula that can lead to the loss of central vision in a short period of time.
The greatest risk factor is age. Although AMD may occur during middle age, studies show that people over age 60 are clearly at greater risk than other age groups. For instance, a large study found that people in middle-age have about a 2 percent risk of getting AMD, but this risk increased to nearly 30 percent in those over age 75.
Other AMD risk factors include:
Gender--Women tend to be at greater risk for AMD than men.
Race--Whites are much more likely to lose vision from AMD than Blacks.
Smoking--Smoking may increase the risk of AMD.
Family History--Those with immediate family members who have AMD are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
Both dry and wet AMD cause no pain. The most common early sign of dry AMD is blurred vision. As fewer cells in the macula are able to function, people will see details less clearly in front of them, such as faces or words in a book. Often this blurred vision will go away in brighter light. If the loss of these light--sensing cells becomes great, people may see a small--but growing-blind spot in the middle of their field of vision.
The classic early symptom of wet AMD is that straight lines appear crooked. This results when fluid from the leaking blood vessels gathers and lifts the macula, distorting vision. A small blind spot may also appear in wet AMD, resulting in loss of one's central vision.
Your eye care professional may suspect AMD if you are over age 60 and have had recent changes in your central vision. To look for signs of the disease, he or she will use eye drops to dilate, or enlarge, your pupils. Dilating the pupils allows your eye care professional to view the back of the eye better.
You may also be asked to view an Amsler grid, a pattern that looks like a checkerboard. Early changes in your central vision will cause the grid to appear distorted, a sign of AMD.
No treatment now exists for dry AMD. Some studies have suggested that taking certain extra vitamins and minerals may slow the progress of the disease. But this treatment needs much more research before scientists can know for sure if it's helpful.
Eye care professionals can treat some cases of wet AMD with laser surgery. This treatment involves aiming a strong light beam onto the new blood vessels to destroy them. Laser surgery is done in a doctor's office or in an eye clinic and lasts a short period of time. Although a person may go home the same day, he or she will need to return for follow-up exams.
Although there is no effective treatment for dry AMD at this time, it is crucial that those who progress to wet AMD and need laser surgery have it before the disease destroys central vision. For this reason, if you have dry AMD or are age 60 or older, you should have your eyes examined through dilated pupils at least once a year. You may also want to get an Amsler grid from your eye care professional to check your vision at home.
Obesity
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 07 - Obesity can, on average, cut more than a decade from a person's life; for black men it can shorten life by up to 20 years, the results of a new US study indicate.
The findings, which are published in the January 8th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, support the idea that excess body weight is a health problem, and may spur physicians and public health officials to redouble efforts to address the growing obesity epidemic.
"Excess weight has not received the same attention from clinicians and policymakers as have other threats to health such as tobacco use, hypertension, or (high cholesterol)," Drs. JoAnn E. Manson and Shari S. Bassuk, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, write in an accompanying editorial. "It is not surprising that obesity rates continue to climb."
The findings show that "obesity has a profound effect on life span," study author Dr. David B. Allison, from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and colleagues state.
According to the report, obesity is particularly dangerous for younger adults. Severely obese white men, 20 to 30 years of age, live about 13 fewer years than others in the general population. Severely obese white women can expect to live eight fewer years than their non-obese counterparts.
Obesity also had a profound effect on the lifespan of younger blacks. Obese black men, 20 to 30 years of age, lose about 20 years and obese black women lose about 5 years of life, even after adjusting the data for smoking.
In the study based on national survey data, white adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 23 to 25 and black adults with a BMI of 23 to 30 lived the longest.
The findings quantify the health risks associated with obesity, especially for young and middle-aged adults. Because about two thirds of the US adult population is overweight or obese, the findings portend an ongoing health crisis, the researchers warn.
The authors call for more research, particularly into the apparent racial differences observed. Nonetheless, the findings "confirm that obesity is a major public health problem that appears to lessen life expectancy markedly, especially among individuals in younger age groups," Dr. Allison and colleagues conclude.
The findings, which are published in the January 8th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, support the idea that excess body weight is a health problem, and may spur physicians and public health officials to redouble efforts to address the growing obesity epidemic.
"Excess weight has not received the same attention from clinicians and policymakers as have other threats to health such as tobacco use, hypertension, or (high cholesterol)," Drs. JoAnn E. Manson and Shari S. Bassuk, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, write in an accompanying editorial. "It is not surprising that obesity rates continue to climb."
The findings show that "obesity has a profound effect on life span," study author Dr. David B. Allison, from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and colleagues state.
According to the report, obesity is particularly dangerous for younger adults. Severely obese white men, 20 to 30 years of age, live about 13 fewer years than others in the general population. Severely obese white women can expect to live eight fewer years than their non-obese counterparts.
Obesity also had a profound effect on the lifespan of younger blacks. Obese black men, 20 to 30 years of age, lose about 20 years and obese black women lose about 5 years of life, even after adjusting the data for smoking.
In the study based on national survey data, white adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 23 to 25 and black adults with a BMI of 23 to 30 lived the longest.
The findings quantify the health risks associated with obesity, especially for young and middle-aged adults. Because about two thirds of the US adult population is overweight or obese, the findings portend an ongoing health crisis, the researchers warn.
The authors call for more research, particularly into the apparent racial differences observed. Nonetheless, the findings "confirm that obesity is a major public health problem that appears to lessen life expectancy markedly, especially among individuals in younger age groups," Dr. Allison and colleagues conclude.
INFLUENZA
Influenza is a serious viral illness whose effects worsen dramatically in people debilitated by advanced age or people of any age with a chronic illness. An average of 20,000 Americans––more than 90 percent of them age 65 or over––die from flu complication s each year. Another 100,000 or more––over half of them under age 65––require hospitalization, usually because of chronic respiratory problems such as asthma. The virus has a total body effect that disrupts functioning of many systems. During outbreaks, deaths increase not only from pneumonia but also from heart, kidney, and liver disease.
The government recommends flu shots for everyone age 50 or over and for all high-risk younger people. Consumers Union's medical consultants go further, recommending the shots for all adults. This position is based partly on large studies showing that the rates of sick days and respiratory illness drop 30 to 45 percent in healthy younger adults who have had the shots.
Because flu-virus strains mutate and shift from year to year, last year's injection won't necessarily protect against this year's flu. Every year, disease detectives from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) track outbreaks of influenza around the world to predict which strains are likely to strike the U.S. over the upcoming winter flu season.
In the 2000-2001 season, the system broke down when one of the vaccine strains proved particularly difficult to make and one manufacturer dropped out of the business. The resulting shortages hit at the height of the flu-shot season. Only good luck forestalled a flu disaster.
This season, the CDC expects another, but less severe, delay. If you can't get the vaccine during the optimal time frame of October and November, then get it later. Last year's flu didn't peak until the end of January, so people who were vaccinated in December were protected. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to create maximal immunity.
The government recommends flu shots for everyone age 50 or over and for all high-risk younger people. Consumers Union's medical consultants go further, recommending the shots for all adults. This position is based partly on large studies showing that the rates of sick days and respiratory illness drop 30 to 45 percent in healthy younger adults who have had the shots.
Because flu-virus strains mutate and shift from year to year, last year's injection won't necessarily protect against this year's flu. Every year, disease detectives from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) track outbreaks of influenza around the world to predict which strains are likely to strike the U.S. over the upcoming winter flu season.
In the 2000-2001 season, the system broke down when one of the vaccine strains proved particularly difficult to make and one manufacturer dropped out of the business. The resulting shortages hit at the height of the flu-shot season. Only good luck forestalled a flu disaster.
This season, the CDC expects another, but less severe, delay. If you can't get the vaccine during the optimal time frame of October and November, then get it later. Last year's flu didn't peak until the end of January, so people who were vaccinated in December were protected. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to create maximal immunity.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Fueling Our Bodies to Beat Fatigue
With so much emphasis on food within a weight loss (or weight watching) context, we have forgotten that food is really for - fueling our bodies.
All food sources (fat, protein, and carbs) are used or stored as energy by our bodies. Food gives us the energy to keep moving, thinking, and even breathing, and our energy depends on our diet. Without regularly supplying our bodies with sustenance, we start to feel weak and fatigued.
A Vitamins C and D or iron deficiency can cause fatigue. Keep fatigue at bay by eating foods rich in these nutrients. Some good sources are: dried apricots (iron), fruit (Vit. C) or salmon (Vit. D). Since most people don’t eat enough of the “good for you” foods, be sure to take a quality multivitamin to ensure that you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals.
The best thing to do to avoid fatigue is stay away from sugar. It may give you pep at first, but will eventually leaving you feeling more lethargic than before.
All food sources (fat, protein, and carbs) are used or stored as energy by our bodies. Food gives us the energy to keep moving, thinking, and even breathing, and our energy depends on our diet. Without regularly supplying our bodies with sustenance, we start to feel weak and fatigued.
A Vitamins C and D or iron deficiency can cause fatigue. Keep fatigue at bay by eating foods rich in these nutrients. Some good sources are: dried apricots (iron), fruit (Vit. C) or salmon (Vit. D). Since most people don’t eat enough of the “good for you” foods, be sure to take a quality multivitamin to ensure that you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals.
The best thing to do to avoid fatigue is stay away from sugar. It may give you pep at first, but will eventually leaving you feeling more lethargic than before.
The Healing Powers of Garlic
I have read before that garlic is a really good herb to help fight certain infections, etc., and even a friend of mine one time suggested it, but I just blew off her recommendations, thinking I would rather not have “garlic breath,” although I do keep garlic supplements on hand just in case. (I saw this weekend what a great idea that is!)
So all week my left ear had been bothering me a bit. I thought maybe it was just swimmer’s ear and was using the swimmer’s eardrops that I have to use for my daughters. Well, that didn’t help. I tried something that an ENT specialist once told my husband - take a Q-tip dipped in alcohol and put it in your ear and rub it around. That didn’t work either. Saturday morning, when I woke up, my ear still hurt but my jaw hurt worse! It was so painful that I had to take drastic measures and call my doctor. He was not in. I saw the garlic supplements and thought, “Well, it’s either try that or go to the ER,” which I was not about to do. Who wants to spend hours upon hours with 2 small children in the ER on a Saturday afternoon? I chose to take the garlic supplements.
The normal dosage for these particular supplements is 2 a day, but I had remembered my friend recommended to take a LOT of garlic, so I took 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and 2 before going to bed. What do you know?! I woke up this morning and the pain in my ear was gone, and more importantly, the pain in my jaw was completely gone! I’m thoroughly impressed because not only is the earache and pain taken care of, but I didn’t have to suffer through garlic breath!
From what I can gather, after doing a bit of cursory research, it’s the Allicin in garlic that has antibacterial properties that are “equivalent to a weak penicillin.” The list of uses for garlic home remedies is long and actually, the use of garlic for medicinal pruposes dates back thousands of years.
Thank goodness for garlic!
So all week my left ear had been bothering me a bit. I thought maybe it was just swimmer’s ear and was using the swimmer’s eardrops that I have to use for my daughters. Well, that didn’t help. I tried something that an ENT specialist once told my husband - take a Q-tip dipped in alcohol and put it in your ear and rub it around. That didn’t work either. Saturday morning, when I woke up, my ear still hurt but my jaw hurt worse! It was so painful that I had to take drastic measures and call my doctor. He was not in. I saw the garlic supplements and thought, “Well, it’s either try that or go to the ER,” which I was not about to do. Who wants to spend hours upon hours with 2 small children in the ER on a Saturday afternoon? I chose to take the garlic supplements.
The normal dosage for these particular supplements is 2 a day, but I had remembered my friend recommended to take a LOT of garlic, so I took 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and 2 before going to bed. What do you know?! I woke up this morning and the pain in my ear was gone, and more importantly, the pain in my jaw was completely gone! I’m thoroughly impressed because not only is the earache and pain taken care of, but I didn’t have to suffer through garlic breath!
From what I can gather, after doing a bit of cursory research, it’s the Allicin in garlic that has antibacterial properties that are “equivalent to a weak penicillin.” The list of uses for garlic home remedies is long and actually, the use of garlic for medicinal pruposes dates back thousands of years.
Thank goodness for garlic!
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