Balance Your Health

Emergencies Come Fast

One of the virtual assistants I work with has a 4-year old daughter in the hospital. Jenn works out of her home so she can take care of her two kids. In addition to giving techy help to people like me, Jenn runs a business for environmentally safe products. She is well known among the green moms viral network.

Her daughter ran a fever last week and with the rash it was diagnosed as scarlet fever. All was well and she was on antibiotics for a couple of days. Her temperature spiked this week end. She's back in the hospital where they're trying to diagnose what is likely a serious infection.

Jenn did her best to balance her life but there are times like these when it's impossible. The urgency of the issue is evident. Priorities scream and whether you eat right or get any sleep is secondary.

Can you be prepared for events like this?

Only to a degree. You can be absolutely sure what hospital you're going to in an emergency. You can make sure you have all your health insurance information together and easily accessible. You can know which doctor to call. If your child or the adult is on medication, you should have a list of those meds, prescription and over the counter, in hand when you arrive at the hospital.

It is also helpful if you have family and good friends near by. Call them. You'll need the support.

Good thoughts for Jenn and her family and

To you, my readers, much success at balancing your health.

 

Ruthan Brodsky

How Reliable is Online Information on Health?

There must be tens of thousands of health-related websites and blogs on the Internet and the list grows daily. Some sites are useful while others may present inaccurate information, misleading interpretation of studies, and out of date information. My recommendation is that you evaluate a website the first time you visit it to determine if it's reliable.

Keep in mind that content on the Internet is not regulated and anyone can publish anything. On the other hand, there is sound medical information on the Internet along with the quackery and dangerous information. You, however, need to be able to tell the difference.

As you search online you're going to find websites for health agencies and other organizations that aren't well known. By answering the following questions you will find out more. Many of these details can be found on the dashboard under the heading About or Contact Us.

One of the first questions you should ask yourself is who sponsors the website? Is the sponsor easily identified?

It costs money to run a Website and the sponsor pays the bills. A good health-related Web site makes it easy for you to find out who is the funding source. For example:

• .gov identifies a government sponsored site;
• .edu indicates an educational institution,
• .org a non commercial or professional site.
• and .com identifies a commercial.

You should also know how the site pays for itself. Does it sell advertising? Is it sponsored by a drug company? This is important because the source of funding affects what content is presented, how the content is presented and what the site owners want to accomplish. For instance, if the site about arthritis is funded by a manufacturer of a supplement that might be used for this condition, that's going to impact the site's content. It certainly will influence how reports and research are interpreted.

If the funding source is unclear or if it's a person or an organization with an interest in the topic but no direct ties to anything commercial or non profit you need to do more homework. Try to confirm the information about that person somewhere else. Use a search engine like Google.

You should also have information about who manages the site? Trustworthy websites have contact information for you to use. This may include a toll-free phone number, an address and an e-mail address. You should be able to reach someone who administers that website.

Knowing he purpose of the site wil help you during the evaluation.The site's purpose is related to who runs and pays for the website. Again, you can usually find out about this by going to the About link on the home page. There you should find a clear statement of purpose which will help you evaluate the trustworthiness of the information. Ask yourself: Why did the person create the page? What's in it for them? Are they trying to sell me something? Do they genuinely want to teach me something?

Above all use your common sense and the information you already know about the health topic before you act on any information about a particular health topic. And if you have questions about the information, ask your physician.

I certainly hope this helps you find out the right kind of health information you're seeking. Do you have other suggestions that help you evaluate how good a website is on health.  Share them us. Scroll down to Comments and type your tip in the blank box.

Thanks for sharing.

To your success at balancing your health and life.

Ruthan Brodsky

What You Can Do About An Ingrown Toe Nail

The medical term for this painful condition is onychocryptosis. It usually happens on the big toe when a corner of the toenail curves down and digs into the skin. Left untreated or undetected, an ingrown toenail can infect the underlying bone and lead to serious infection.

If your symptoms are minor such as the toe being red and not very painful, and you don't have a complicated condition such as diabetes, you can take some simple measures at home to treat your ingrown toe nail.

• Soak the foot in lukewarm water 2 or 3 times a day for 15 minutes. I always add Epsom salts but I'm told there's no scientific evidence this will heal anything or help the pain.
• Massage the skin at the side of the toenail gently pushing it away from the nail.
• Some suggest placing cotton under your toenail after soaking to help the nail grow above the skin edge. Some doctors say this is too risky because it traps bacteria.
• However, do apply a topical antibiotic such as Neosporin or Polysporin or bacitracin. Cover the area with a band aid.
• Wear sandals or other low-heeled open-toed shoes whenever possible.

Preventing Ingrown Toenails

• Wear low-heeled shoes that have enough room at the toes. If you wear stockings wear moisture-wicking socks so your toes move freely.
• Keep your feet clean and dry.
• Use a toenail clipper (not a fingernail clipper).
• Cut your toenails across, going with the curve. Do not round the corners down and don't cut the toenails too short.

If your toenail becomes infected it's time to see a doctor such as a podiatrist (foot care specialist) or a dermatologist. You may need to take oral antibiotics for an infection and the doctor may have to remove the ingrown part of your nail.

Painful feet can make your day miserable.  Take good care of what keeps you mobile and they will take good care of you.

To your success at balancing your health.

Ruthan Brodsky

How to Treat an Ingrown Toenail

An ingrown toenail is a common condition, for both men and women. It happens when the corner or side of one of your toenails grows into the soft flesh of that toe. It usually affects one of your big toes and if not taken care of properly can lead to pain, redness, swelling and sometimes infection. This usually happens when the toenail breaks the skin and bacteria may enter and cause an infection. Sometimes, skin may start to grow over the ingrown part of the nail.

Many people with ingrown toenails take care of the condition by themselves. Warm soaks and proper nail trimming may be what's needed, but sometimes it's best to see a foot specialist when you first feel the pain and the pressure. If the pain is severe or it's spreading, a podiatrist can usually relieve your discomfort and help you avoid more complications of an ingrown toenail.

The Drinking Dilemma: Red Wine or Not?

Most of us believe that a glass of red wine is good for our health. After all, for the last two years we've been reading summaries of research reports and studies that tell us the compound resveratrol, may help prevent cancer and protect the heart and brain from damage.

Actually, the benefits of red wine have been touted for centuries. Now the scientists are trying to figure out why and how.

Even so alcohol can be dangerous. Most studies linking alcohol to health problems usually focus on excess consumption or drinking more than one glass. For example, drinking 2 or more glasses of alcohol puts you at high risk for developing involuntary tremors and breast cancer. On the other hand it tends to improve bone density in women because it does raise estrogen levels.

It's not difficult to see why you may be confused about the do's and don'ts of alcohol.

I suspect the key word here is moderation. Several studies report that when you start to have three or more drinks a day, you lose the benefits. Red wine, for instance, does help raise HDL, the good cholesterol. However, exercise and aspirin can do the same thing so don't start drinking just to improve your cholesterol.

Another factor to remember is that as you age, your body doesn't metabolize alcohol as quickly as it did when you were younger. All of which means is that as you get older it may take just one drink to give you that buzz and hand over the keys to another driver.

Also keep in mind that alcohol can have negative interactions with many medications so ask your pharmacist and doctor the best way to minimize your risks.

Even so the list of benefits from wine seems to grow. Well known for keeping your heart healthy, wine in moderation may help you lose weight, reduce forgetfulness, and boost your immunity.

I enjoy a glass of wine as a cocktail with friends and with a meal at home. I probably have been drinking red wine like this for over 20 years, long before it was The Thing to do. During this past year I am amazed at how many very nice wines are being featured at local stores with prices around $10 a bottle from small vineyards. The names given to some of those wines are sometimes outrageous and very funny!

To your balanced life style,

Ruthan Brodsky

Types of Meditation

A person learns to focus attention in meditation. Some forms of meditation teach to be keenly aware of thoughts and feelings without making judgments. The purpose is to bring calmness and relaxation and change how a person responds to their own emotions.

Most types of mediation have 4 criteria in common:

• A quiet location with few distractions.
• A specific but comfortable posture.
• A focus of attention whether it's a spot on the wall, repeating a mantra, or focusing on breathing.
• An open attitude which means letting distractions go and not making judgments about them.

These are some of the types of meditations:

Guided meditation or visualization. The concept here is to form mental images of places or events that you find relaxing.

Mantra mediation in which you silently repeat a calming word or thought. TM or transcendental meditation practices this approach.

Mindful meditation in which your goal is to have an increased awareness of the present such as focusing on your breath. You observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment.

Qi gong. Part of traditional Chinese medicine, this approach combines meditation, relaxation and breathing exercise to maintain balance.

Tai chi. In this form of gentle Chinese martial arts you perform a self-paced series of postures in a slow manner while practicing deep breathing.

Yoga. One of the more popular forms of meditation, the different postures and approaches require concentration and balance.

All you need to start meditating is a few moments without interruption. You can attend special meditation centers or you can easily practice on your own. You can make the time as informal or formal as you want depending on your lifestyle. For instance, some people have a fixed time to meditate in their daily routine while others end each day with meditation. Still others find a few minutes somewhere in their day to meditate and that may be all you really need.

Do you practice any of these meditations? How well did they work for you?  Please share your thoughts with our readers.

To your successful balanced life

Ruthan Brodsky

Meditation for Good Health

Meditation actually refers to a group of techniques such as mantra meditation, relaxation response, mindfulness meditation and Zen Buddhist meditation. Most of these techniques started in the religious and spiritual traditions of the East.

Many people practice meditation for health issues including anxiety, pain, depression, stress, insomnia, and physical symptoms associated with chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

What's interesting is that medicine doesn't know exactly how meditation works on the body and the mind. The research shows that it does cause physical changes in the body and there are some theories about why this happens, but nothing conclusive.

One of the theories is that meditation may work by affecting the automatic or involuntary nervous system. This system regulates many organs and muscles regulating your heartbeat, breathing, and digestion.

In another area of research, scientists are testing whether meditation is associated with changes in brain function. Still another theory is that by practicing meditation you may improve your mind's ability to pay attention. Paying attention, of course, could lead to other benefits, because we need to pay attention to do everyday tasks and to help regulate our moods.

Please keep in mind that meditation is not a replacement for your conventional medical care or an excuse not to see your physician or postpone an appointment.

And one more piece of advice: if you're looking for an instructor to help you meditate ask about the training and experience of that instructor before you register for any classes.

If you practice meditation, let us know what type you do and the benefits you found.  I would like to share that with our subscribers.  Scroll down to Comments and tell us what you do to relax. Much appreciation.

To your success for balance in your life,

Ruthan Brodsky

Meditation 101

Meditation 101

Meditation has been around for thousands of years. Historically, meditation was supposed to help the holy men, the sages, the medicine men acquire a deeper understanding of the mystical and sacred powers of the world in which they lived. Today, meditation is commonly used as a tool, a strategy, a process to reduce stress.

Meditation is an accepted mind-body practice in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or integrated medicine. However, I doubt whether your insurance company would pay for any instruction you receive about how to medicate.

Anyone can practice meditation. It is simple and you don't need extra equipment. The beauty of meditation is you can practice it anywhere. You can meditate on a commuter train, in your doctor's waiting room, or in a closet.

A person uses certain techniques when they meditate such as a specific posture, focused attention, or repeating a mantra. Its purpose is to eliminate the stream of thoughts that causes chaos and stress for you as they crowd your mind. The result is improved physical and emotional well being.

I've given a series of 30-minute teleseminars on stress and strategies for controlling your stress that you can download or listen to them on your computer. They are free and are very informative. You may also give these links to your friends and family: Coping with Different Types of Stress .

Meditation is one of the best ways to manage stress because it gives you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits your overall health. The beauty of it is that these benefits can last from your meditation session to your entire day. It clears away your information overload that builds up every day and creates chaos and more stress.

Meditation is most meaningful for me because it helps me reduce my negative outlook and emotions. It also helps me focus on the present.

More on meditation in my next post.

This is a good time to ask your questions so I can share the answers with others.

To your well balanced success in health and in life.

Ruthan Brodsky

Benefits vs Risks of Aspirin

The most recent recommendation from the medical community regarding taking aspirin is that doctors should carefully consider risk factors before deciding whether to use aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes.

Your age, sex, smoking habits, and blood pressure may determine your risk of a heart even but the possibility that aspirin could cause gastrointestinal

(GI) bleeding also must be weighed.

The consensus is that for most people under the age of 80, the benefits of taking aspirin outweigh the risks.

Men age 45-79 are encouraged to use aspirin to reduce possible heart attacks.

Women age 55 to 79 are also encouraged to use aspiring.

These recommendations are for people who haven't had a previous heart attack or stroke.

On the other hand, your risk of bleeding is higher if you have upper GI problems or GI ulcers. Taking any kind of blood thinner also makes you off limits for aspirin.

Bottom line, if you take aspirin to help prevent a stroke or heart attack, have your doctor monitor your blood count to screen for a slow GI bleed.

Source: US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

To your successful lifestyle.

Ruthan Brodsky

P.S.  Taking aspirin is a good reminder that whenever we take a medicatiion there is always a side effect - good or bad. Be aware.

Cheese in Your Diet, the Good and the Bad

No matter what the season cheese seems to be an integral part of our meals. Cheese and crackers to munch on when friends meet, mozzarella and tomato as a salad, cauliflower casserole with cheddar cheese, grilled burgers with melted cheese, baked onion soup with cheese, cream cheese and bagel, and cheese cake. The list goes on especially if you watch the Food Network. There are hundreds of recipes that use a huge variety of cheese.

Cheese is regarded as healthy or unhealthy depending upon the kind of cheese you're talking about and how much you're using in your cooking. The kind of fat in a particular cheese depends on the source of the cheese which translates as how good was the cow which produced the mild product.

Cows were mean to be fed grass and be raised in free roaming pastures. Unfortunately, that's not the case with many milk manufacturers and cow farmers. It is cheaper and easier to feed their cows grain and raise them in very tight quarters than give them the nourishment and enough land to grow the way nature intended. As a result many cows become ill and require antibiotics to stay alive. These antibiotics end up in the blood stream and then in the cows milk which means they are in our in our milk and in our cheeses, yogurt and beef.

Certified nutritionist, Isabel De Los Rios, explains more about fats and other diet solutions in her easy to read eBook about her diet solution program.  Click on the link.  It's one of the most complete and honest books on dieting I've read.

Cows are also given growth hormones to speed their growth and development and those too end up in our beef and milk products. Conventional cheese from the poorly raised cows is high in Omega 6 Fats which we want to reduce and increase the Omega 3's in our diet. It can also be laden with antibiotics and hormones.

Organic milk and cheese, more available than before, do not have added antibiotics and hormones and they are also much higher in Omega 3 fats.

Many diet plans count cheese as a protein. I think of cheese as a fat option because I don't feel the protein content in cheese is high enough to qualify as a full protein. Cheese does have some protein but for blood sugar balancing purposes, it may not be enough for some people. Some people can have 2 ounces of cheddar cheese and a small apple and be great while others may feel sleepy after the snack.

It's all about proportion. You can add some cheese into a healthy weight loss meal plan by:

Sprinkling some shredded cheese on top of an omelet. The key word is sprinkle.

Combine cheese with an apple or pear and some raw nuts as a great 3 pm pick me up.

Melt some cheese over vegetables to get family to eat vegetables.

It only takes a small amount of cheese to add that extra flavor. You don't have to drown your salad, or omelet or meat with gobs of cheese.

I welcome your tips about including cheese in your meals without adding a huge amount of calories. Cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods but I do limit my intake. Type your tips in the Comment Window.

To your health and happiness in a balanced life.

Ruthan Brodsky

Why Men and Women Handle Stress Differently

We all have stories about how men and women experience stress differently.

My friend, Barbara, is stressed out these days – like so many of us. She works as a second-grade teacher in a school district that was supported by an auto industry tax base. The school-age population in her district is getting smaller and she's not sure how long she'll have her job.

When Barbara's stress builds up she ends up crying hidden in the bathroom when get gets home. Then she talks frequently about how she feels with her friends and family. It's her way to get it all out.

Barbara's husband, Frank, works for a large accounting firm who lists some of their large accounts as auto suppliers and pharmaceuticals. Their clients are global but they're still losing some and the firm's staff has been reduced.

Frank doesn't say much when he's stressed. And he doesn't cry. Depending upon how stressed he is, Frank can become irritable.

A primary reason why men and women react differently to stress is hormones. Cortisol, epinephrine and oxytocin are the important ones. When you are stressed your levels of cortisol and epinephrine raise your blood pressure and your circulating blood sugar level. The problem is raised cortisol can lower the effectiveness of your immune system. Not good for your health.

At one time it was thought that men and women produce different levels of cortisol when they get stressed but now we know that's not the case. It's the hormone called oxytocin which makes the difference. When women are stressed and the cortisol and epinephrine rush through the bloodstream, oxytocin is released from the brain which counters the production of cortisol and epinephrine and promotes more nurturing emotions. Men also secrete oxytocin when they're stressed but in much smaller amounts.

The old fight or flight theory about stress works for men but women are more likely to deal with stress by tending and befriending or nurturing those around them and reaching out to others.

What do you do to handle your stress - chew gum? go for a walk? write in your journal? Tell us about your stress management tools so we can share them with others.  Scroll down to 'Comments" and type your tips in the window.  Much appreciation.

To your success at a balance life.

Ruthan Brodsky