Varicose Veins Tied to Higher Odds for Blood Clots
http://ift.tt/2Cph0vo TUESDAY, Feb. 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Those tangled blue varicose veins that can pop up on your legs as you age may be more than unsightly: New research suggests they might quintuple your risk of dangerous blood clots. Known as deep venous thrombosis (DVT), these clots in the legs can be life-threatening if they travel to the lungs or heart, Taiwanese researchers said. "Varicose veins are not merely a cosmetic or symptomatic concern, because they may be associated with increasing risk of more serious disease," explained lead researcher Dr. Shyue-Luen Chang, a phlebologist in the department of dermatology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan. Varicose veins are a common condition affecting about 23 percent of American adults, the researchers said. "Patients with varicose veins may warrant careful monitoring and early evaluation," Chang added. Among a group of more than 425,000 people, half of whom had varicose veins, Chang's team found that the condition was associated with 5.3 times increased risk of deep venous thrombosis. Whether varicose veins cause the clots, or are a real risk for them, however, is not known, Chang said. More research is needed since the study did not prove that varicose veins cause the clots, he said. "Not much is known about varicose veins and the risk for these other diseases," Chang said. "Elucidating potential associations between varicose veins and health-threatening diseases is important." The researchers also found a trend for an increased risk of pulmonary embolisms or PE (clots in the lung) or PAD (narrowing of the leg arteries) among those with varicose veins, but they weren't able to tell if varicose veins were a real risk for these conditions. For the study, Chang and colleagues used data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance program. Patients were enrolled in the database from 2001 to 2013, and they were followed through 2014. One weakness of the study is that insurance claims data do not include information on patients who don't seek medical care. Therefore, the findings may apply only to risk among patients with more severe varicose veins who needed medical attention, the researchers explained. Health via WebMD Health https://www.webmd.com/ February 27, 2018 at 01:51PM
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Katy Perry "Came to It Skeptical," but These Are the Big Ways Meditation Changed Her Life
http://ift.tt/2EXPEhB Meditation has been a buzzing topic for a while now. You've heard that it can ease anxiety and stress, help you lose weight, and just bring more peace to your life in general. Katy Perry has been an outspoken supporter of Transcendental Meditation for years, and she practices it regularly. We spoke with the very person who taught her how to meditate - Bob Roth, author of Strength in Stillness and Transcendental Meditation (TM) expert who has also worked with Hugh Jackman, Gisele Bündchen, and Jerry Seinfeld. If you don't know what TM is, Bob describes it as "a simple, effortless mental technique that gives your mind and body - within a minute or two - a profound state of restful alertness." You practice TM twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes at a time, seated comfortably in a chair with your eyes closed. We asked Bob to tell us about the specific ways TM has affected Katy's life. "I've known Katy for a very long time," Bob told POPSUGAR. "I had taught Russell Brand to meditate, and I went to India when the two of them got married, [where] I taught Katy to meditate. Both of them like to say the marriage didn't survive, but the meditation did for both of them." Like many practical people might feel when they're presented with the idea of meditation, Bob said, "Katy came to it skeptical. She had questions - was it a religion? She realized it's not, and she's been practicing it very regularly in her life." Katy has told Bob many times about all the ways TM has affected her. "She said it's hard to get to the top in her profession, but it's much harder to stay at the top," he shared. "But she has a tool that gives her body profound rest, deeper than sleep. It reboots her body and also wakes up the brain. It feels like the cobwebs of fatigue and stress get brushed aside." The best part about TM for Katy is that she can do it anywhere - on an airplane, in a hotel room, in a car (when someone else is driving, obviously). "It's allowed her to keep up a very strenuous touring schedule and creative schedule," Bob explained. "She doesn't have writer's block like she used to, and she feels healthier and better about herself." That's why Katy is a strong supporter of meditation and "encourages a lot of young people to learn to meditate, too." If it's worked so well for Katy, it may be beneficial for you as well. Check out the TM website for more information and to find a teacher near you. Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 27, 2018 at 12:59PM
We Need to Talk About This Nasty Side Effect of Your High-Stress Life
http://ift.tt/2EYs9kj This is not an ideal topic, but since most females will get a yeast infection in their lifetimes - and almost half of women will experience two or more - let's get informed. First off, according to Womenshealth.gov, your vaginal yeast infection comes by way of a host of uncomfortable symptoms, which include burning, itching, pain during urination and sex, and thick, white discharge. The infections are caused by an overgrowth of the fungus candida. Various everyday lifestyle factors contribute to getting a yeast infection. Wearing really tight jeans or leggings, staying in sweaty workout clothing for too long, highly scented feminine products, and wiping the wrong way (should always be from front to back!) are just some of the things that might increase your risk of getting a yeast infection. Turns out, our close friend stress is an important link in the wellness of our vaginal health, too. Since the mind has a great effect on the body, Dr. Mashfika N. Alam, a family physician, told POPSUGAR, "A weakened immune system does predispose the body to fungal infections including vaginal yeast infections. Since chronic stress does tend to lower the body's defenses, it can trigger vaginal candida infections." Dr. Sean McCaffrey, a health and wellness professional who specializes in integrative health, also told POPSUGAR, "When under chronic stress, your body has to allocate all of its resources differently. The adrenal glands then take the majority of these resources to deal with the stress, which weakens the immune system. This causes the body to have an imbalance in its systems." Essentially, your stress - emotional, physical, or nutritional - allows things that are more opportunistic to get started and those things can be infection, disease, and a lot of discomfort. Caleb Backe, a health and wellness expert for Maple Holistics, echoes this sentiment, as he explained to POPSUGAR, "The mind affects to the body to a great degree, and when we are stressed out chronically, it can most certainly aggravate different kinds of illnesses." Similar to having an ulcer or high blood pressure or muscle tension, practicing self-care techniques that will increase relaxation and decrease stress are going to help your vaginal health, too. Try yoga and meditation. Go for a walk. Eat calming foods. Over and over, we see correlations between physical and mental health, so do yourself a favor and take steps to rein in your stress and positively keep yourself out of discomfort's way. There is no better excuse than your health to give yourself a spa treatment (even at home) as often as possible. Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 27, 2018 at 12:59PM
These Are the 3 Best - and Safest - Workouts to Do While Pregnant
http://ift.tt/2BU49jy When determining your exercise goals during pregnancy, always begin by checking in with your medical professional to find out if exercising is right for you and your pregnancy! Currently the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week for noncomplicated pregnancies. Exercise prescription while pregnant should follow the same guidelines for nonpregnant individuals, while modifying to reduce risks for mother and baby. If you're looking for ideas on how to get started, we have included our top three workouts for pregnant moms ahead! Prenatal Yoga or PilatesThe first step is making sure that your instructor has a prenatal certification, as many traditional yoga and Pilates moves are contraindicated during pregnancy. A trained instructor will know exactly what moves to avoid and what to focus on! Gestational weight gain in your chest and abdomen traditionally causes balance issues, muscles aches, and poor posture. For the millions of women who are suffering from pregnancy-related anxiety and insomnia, deep breathing and meditations within a yoga practice will also be beneficial for calming the mind and improving sleep patterns! Stretches and poses for your upper back, shoulders, hips, and lower back will help alleviate common issues and discomfort and improve your balance. Continuing to work your core and pelvic floor will help your body manage the increased weight demands, aid in delivery, and give you a leg up on rebuilding your pelvic floor postpartum. Incontinence, lower back pain, and core weakness are impossible to avoid during pregnancy and delivery. However, continuing to work out during pregnancy with some prenatal yoga will give you the best shot at feeling like yourself in those first few months postdelivery! Low-Impact Cardiovascular ExerciseMany physicians will recommend that women wear a heart rate monitor during pregnancy and slow down or cease activity if the monitor goes above 140 bpm. Another effective way to judge cardiovascular intensity is using the talk test. If you are unable to carry on a conversation during exercise, you may be working too hard. Restricting oxygen to yourself and baby for prolonged periods of time is not recommended, and this is an easy way to judge if you need to slow down! During your second and third trimesters, a hormone called relaxin starts to rise, loosening ligaments in your core and pelvic floor to help aid in delivery. This means you are more susceptible to joint injury and falling and want to avoid high-impact exercise. Low-impact exercises such as walking, elliptical, swimming, and recumbent biking are favorable to sprinting, jumping, or CrossFit-type bootcamps. An added bonus of water-based activities is a reduction of swelling in your lower extremities that many pregnant women battle, especially in the third trimester! Resistance-Band TrainingOne of the reasons resistance-band training is great for pregnancy is the ability to adjust as your size and energy levels shift, without having to constantly buy new equipment or more dumbbells! Resistance bands with and without handles can be used to do a variety of upper-body exercises like back rows, chest press, bicep curls, triceps extensions, and shoulder raises, as well as resistance walking, squats, sumo squats, and calf press for the lower body. Continuing resistance training one or two times a week throughout your pregnancy will help you maintain strength, flexibility, and energy and helps manage gestational weight gain. Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 27, 2018 at 12:38PM
3-Ingredient Paleo Desserts That Will Make You Instantly Happy
http://ift.tt/2BUjpgg When you start eating Paleo, it can be easy to assume the only dessert you’ll be having is a piece of fruit. While frozen grapes are great, sometimes your sweet tooth requires a little more. Luckily, there are plenty of Paleo-approved sweeteners and substitutes that can be turned into awesome Paleo desserts—almond butter, coconut milk, and avocado, to name a few. As these recipes show, you only need a few ingredients to make something delicious that won't throw you off your clean-eating game. Keep these on hand, because when you only need three things, it’s a lot harder to justify grabbing the pint of ice cream in the back of your freezer.
While most nice creams start with bananas, we love the frozen strawberry base in this recipe. When you blend the berries with chilled coconut milk and maple syrup, you can barely taste the fact that it’s Paleo and dairy-free.
These chocolate bites are a little too easy to pop, but since they’re only made with almond butter, coconut flour, and chocolate, it's definitely a better alternative to Reese’s. Add a sprinkle of sea salt to the top if you want some extra texture and flavor.
Whoever realized avocado would be a good addition to desserts deserves a round of applause. Avos make healthy pudding so much creamier, and between dates and cacao powder, it’s still just as sweet as you want it to be. If you feel like breaking the three-ingredient rule, add chia seeds, shredded coconut, or cacao nibs for topping.
If you’re a Peppermint Patty or Junior Mints fan, you’ll love this ridiculously easy fudge recipe. As the name suggests, there’s only five minutes of prep time involved, then you let it freeze for an hour. Peppermint extract is the real hero here, giving the chocolate and almond butter fudge a minty fresh taste.
The best part of these rich, crunchy brownies? Since they’re made with bananas, almond butter, and cocoa powder, you don’t have to feel the tiniest bit guilty eating brownies for breakfast. Because sometimes, it’s just that kind of day.
If you like your desserts fruity rather than chocolaty, try this super-easy chia seed pudding recipe. It’s made with coconut milk, mango, and chia seeds, and will make you feel like you’re sitting on a beach. FYI, the pudding needs a few hours (or overnight) in the fridge for the chia seeds to expand.
This fudge looks like mini brownie bites and tastes like frosting, so chocoholics, we’d say this one’s for you. Grab a bag of Paleo chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life) and melt them with coconut milk and coconut oil. This might be our new favorite way to use muffin tins. Health via Greatist RSS https://greatist.com/ February 27, 2018 at 11:52AM
Get Spring Ready With These 5 Calf-Carving Exercises
http://ift.tt/2t05TVz When we talk about leg workouts, most of our attention goes to the big muscle groups: quads, hamstrings, and our favorite, the gluteus maximus. But none of those groups get the job done without their neighbors to the south, the gastrocnemius and the soleus, aka your calf muscles. These two muscles pair up to create plantar flexion - your foot moving up and down. They make running, jumping, walking, and simply standing possible. Anytime you stand in one place, your calf muscles engage to provide stability. When you begin to move, they allow for powerful and purposeful forward and upward movement. That's a long way around to saying they deserve some fitness love too! The nice thing about them is that they are easy to isolate, quick to max out, and present that amazing sculpted muscle look we all want. Here are five ways to give your calf zone some much needed attention; you'll feel so good you'll want to break out your short shorts sooner than you'd planned! Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 27, 2018 at 11:21AM
Screen Teens For Depression Annually, Docs Say
http://ift.tt/2osK6kO Feb. 27, 2018 -- The country’s top pediatricians group this week endorsed annual depression screenings for teens. The new two-part guideline, published online Monday in Pediatrics, was developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Canadian Pediatric Society, and psychiatric associations from both countries. "We know that more than 50% of cases of adolescent depression do not get identified, and even fewer get treated. [S]ince pediatricians and primary care providers are at the front-line, seeing these kids either for a well visit, school physicals, camp physicals, sports physicals, or just for common illnesses, they are in a really good position to identify depression as well as manage and treat it," says Rachel Zuckerbrot, MD, lead author of the Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care. Nerissa Bauer, MD, a member of the guidelines' steering group, agrees, emphasizing that there is an urgent need for doctors to help identify and care for teenagers with depression. "In the society in which we live, teens are much more prone to suffering from depression than ever, given social media and cyberbullying and the potential to be exposed to trauma every day in terms of social violence, gun violence, community violence," says Bauer, an associate professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. "[D]epression is definitely a topic that primary care physicians need to be familiar with and to be able to talk sensitively about in a timely way with our families. It's just part of promoting the optimal wellness of our patients, and at least we have the ability to ask the question," she adds. First Step The recommendation for universal screening is a change from the previous guidelines, published a decade ago, and is the first step in a larger strategy that should be followed when a doctor suspects a teenage patient might be depressed. As was true for the 2007 guidelines, doctors need to evaluate teenagers for things that make depression more likely, including a family history, substance use, and other concerns. Primary care providers, including pediatricians, should also speak with the teenager's family or caregivers. Health via WebMD Health https://www.webmd.com/ February 27, 2018 at 09:50AM
Urine May Hold the Key to Your True Age
http://ift.tt/2BQSja5 By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Feb. 27, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A simple urine test apparently can reveal how old your body really is -- showing its biological, not chronological age. That information can then help determine your risk for age-related diseases and even death, a new study suggests. The test checks for a substance -- called a marker -- that indicates cellular damage from a process known as oxidation. The substance increases in urine as people get older. "As we age, we suffer increasing oxidative damage, and so the levels of oxidative markers increase in our body," explained study co-author Jian-Ping Cai, a researcher at the National Center of Gerontology at Beijing Hospital in China. People's bodies age at different rates, according to the researchers. That's due to varying amounts of cellular damage associated with such factors as genetics, lifestyle and environment. For their study, the researchers focused on an oxidation marker called 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGsn). They measured levels of this marker in urine samples from more than 1,200 people in China, ages 2 to 90, and found age-related increases in the marker among those 21 and older. "Therefore, urinary 8-oxoGsn is promising as a new marker of aging," Cai said in news release from the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. The study was published online Feb. 27 in the journal. "Urinary 8-oxoGsn may reflect the real condition of our bodies better than our chronological age, and may help us to predict the risk of age-related diseases," Cai said. Health via WebMD Health https://www.webmd.com/ February 27, 2018 at 09:50AM
Halo Top Is Releasing a Blueberry Crumble Flavor That's Basically Pie in a Pint
http://ift.tt/2EZ1DYe This might be a lot to take in, but Halo Top is apparently releasing what might be its best flavor yet: Blueberry Crumble. The pleasant, springtime flavor consists of vibrant blended blueberry swirls, flaky pieces of pie crust, and actual blueberries, obviously. Like Halo Top's many other flavors, a pint contains 360 calories and 20 grams of protein. According to CEO and Founder Justin Woolverton, Blueberry Crumble is a consumer-inspired flavor. "Blueberry Crumble is a direct result of requests and suggestions we have received, and we truly believe it may be our best flavor yet," he said. "We want to continue to deliver exciting and special flavors to our fans and are thrilled to be able to share our latest one with them!"
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We Tried All 7 Flavors of Halo Top Low-Calorie, High-Protein Ice Cream . . . and Here's How It Went The flavor won't, however, be a permanent addition to the Halo Top range. Blueberry Crumble will hit stores nationwide this March through the end of May. Health via POPSUGAR Fitness http://ift.tt/2mWxwLI February 27, 2018 at 09:18AM
4 Small Ways to Be an Even More Wonderful Human, Instantly
http://ift.tt/2GO6tb2 When I got home the other day, I found an envelope waiting for me: It wasn't a bill, it wasn't a promo, and it wasn't in handwriting I recognize (so not you, Mum). It gave me a little thrill of delight in the elevator, as I thought, Who's sent me this lovely red envelope with gold stars on the back? Someone must really dig me! I opened it up, and it was a note from a friend of mine, Petra, congratulating me on the recent release of my book and wishing me success and sales. It was totally unexpected and completely delightful. I have a twinge of warmth when thinking of Petra, even writing about her now. And I know this thoughtful, small act of hers contributes to that. In a busy world where everyone is too rushed for everything, here are some small ways that you can be a more awesome human: 1. Rediscover snail mail.And not just for life's big events. Like the unexpected congrats card I got in the mail, consider smaller occasions you can stick a stamp on and send love toward. Maybe someone lost their dog and you want to express your condolences. Perhaps a friend is going through a divorce and you want to tell her you have her back. Maybe a coworker did something brave and you want to show appreciation or thanks. In 2018, a written word goes a looong way. 2. Smile and dial.When was the last time you called someone to wish them a happy birthday, to get well, or to say thank you? Texts are great, yes—because all communication is meaningful. But when someone picks up the phone, you hear their voice and can share a laugh (or even a cry) together, and well… it beats a LOL and teary-face emoji any day of the week. 3. Ask someone their goals + give a little somethin'.Asking someone about their goals for the year is a very generous act. This kind of question goes beyond surface conversation and leads you to really get to know a person. Ask without an agenda—out of curiosity. And to be a real superhuman, give them something that might them help: a book, a connection, even just a few words of encouragement. We all don't do this enough. If someone doesn't know their goals, ask about their passion: The answer might surprise you. I mean, let me ask… what's yours? 4. Share your blessings.I've never liked the expression "give back." What does that mean, exactly? Who should you be giving back to? What have you (or they) taken? I prefer just give. Or even better, share. I made a commitment earlier this year to give a little money every month to charity: water after learning that diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. If you would like to share too, you can donate as much as you like or as little as $10/month here. Plenty of other small acts of kindness go a long way too, like smiling at somebody in the hallway, offering a sincere compliment to your spouse, or praising someone publically (like in a meeting at the office or an open comment on Facebook). I remind myself often of something that Anne Frank wrote: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." The power's all ours. In the present. Wonderful indeed. Susie Moore is Greatist's life coach columnist and a confidence coach in New York City. Sign up for free weekly wellness tips on her website and check back every Tuesday for her latest No Regrets column! Health via Greatist RSS https://greatist.com/ February 27, 2018 at 06:27AM |
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